


Children of the Series

by Lecrivaine



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, I wrote this before the House of Hades, Miscarriage, Next Generation, Non-Canon Relationship, Not Canon Compliant, Post-The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus), Pre-The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus), Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 37,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28253709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lecrivaine/pseuds/Lecrivaine
Summary: When Sadie Kane and Annabeth Chase-Jackson bond over a miscarriage, their newfound friendship brings the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians together in a whole new way – and just in time to face the rising threat of a combined Greek and Egyptian enemy.Just when they all thought they could have normal lives, Fate proves them wrong once more.*Set 12 years after both series*
Relationships: Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson) & Percy Jackson & Carter Kane & Sadie Kane, Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson) & Sadie Kane, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Anubis/Sadie Kane/Walt Stone, Carter Kane & Sadie Kane, Carter Kane/Zia Rashid, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Piper McLean/Leo Valdez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. One of the Worst Days of My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers! So I've been moving my best works from my Fanfiction.net account (Pen-Always-in-Hand) to my new AO3 account.
> 
> So this story is set "12 years after both series" but it was written between "Son of Neptune" and "Mark of Athena," and so stops being canon-compliant after "House of Hades" and ignores the official "Demigods and Magicians" crossover (but it DOES take inspiration from that crossover, which I wish was way longer than it is).
> 
> I actually changed my mind on some of the major ships in this story, mainly Jason/Reyna and Leo/Piper, but I still really liked this story and they're not the main focus anyway.
> 
> Sorry for such a long note! But if you can handle the non-canon elements of this story, then without further ado, please enjoy my PJO/Kane Chronicles crossover!

Chapter One — SADIE

"Sadie? Can I – can I come in?" My husband's concerned tone, coming through our bedroom door, nearly made me want to burst into tears again. Instead I gave weary permission and Walt entered the room. In his prime at twenty-seven, Walt Stone was, as my old thirteen-year-old self would say, _hot_. Muscular, more so now then when we first met. Staring into his warm brown eyes for hours was one of my favorite past times. While I love my eyes, I would love more if our child inherited Walt's.

That is, if I could actually carry a child a whole nine months.

This train of thought finally turned on more waterworks, and I could taste salt on my cheeks as tears slid down my face. Walt crossed the room in three long strides and embraced me as I started sobbing. I got his shoulder soaked, but he didn't say a word, just held me and rocked me back and forth.

"I-I just don't _understand_ ," I gasped out after a while. "This..this was the third one. The _third_ one, Walt. What am I doing wrong? Why-" my voice choked-"why won't they stay?"

"You're not doing anything wrong, Sadie," Walt assured me. "You're perfectly fine." He paused, then said informatively, "Anubis thinks it might be his fault. You know, since he's the god of" his voice trailed off "...death."

"No," I whispered, then more forcefully, "No." Walt looked at me, a little surprised but at that moment I needed to see Anubis, so I slipped into the Duat to glare at the god.

"Don't blame yourself," I ordered, only slightly aware of how hypocritical I was being - but I refused to let either of my men feel worse than necessary. I mean, Walt (and Anubis) did get me pregnant - three times! - and so after that it was _my_ body's responsibility to make sure our baby was safe and healthy. My body had failed - _I_ had failed. They didn't need to think it was their fault.

Anubis looked back at me, then cocked his head. He opened his mouth to speak, and I knew that even if I wasn't in the Duat, Walt would probably let him speak anyway.

"Well, then, you're not allowed to blame yourself, either, Sadie," Anubis said. My glare deepened, but he continued, ignoring me, "In fact, none of us are allowed to blame ourselves. Sadie, it's not your fault; Walt, it's not your fault; and, according to you two, it's not my fault. So let's all just stop blaming ourselves, let out our grief, and move on." I blinked, a little stunned, but I knew he was right. I pulled out of the Duat to see what Walt thought. He seemed to agree with Anubis, too. Well, at least we were all in agreement, then.

"Come on, Sadie," Walt said, forcing a small smile on his face as he stood up and offered me his hand. "Why don't we...why don't we go for a drive?"

"A drive?" I repeated dumbly. "Like, drive-in-a-car, that kind of drive?" Though dubious, I did sit up. Walt nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Just you and me. And Anubis. We can – we can go anywhere, and just be...normal. Talk. Walk around, whatever." When he saw that I was still unsure he added quickly, "Of course, we don't have to. I just thought-" he broke off, and his eyes unfocused just a bit, so I knew he and Anubis were 'having words.' Then it was Anubis' voice from Walt's mouth: "Sadie, please just kiss us and cease his blabbering."

I laughed out loud, which I suspect was Anubis' goal all along, and complied with the god's wish.

~~~

"What did I tell you, Sadie? Wasn't this a good idea?" WaIt asked triumphantly. I smiled and murmured assent as I stared out the window, watching the Manhattan scenery go by. It had taken a while to convince Anubis it was alright to go here (apparently there was some old threat he _refused_ to talk about) but with the two of us (and the fact that Walt was in control), it wasn't too hard for us to win over Anubis.

Still, as we drove, I couldn't help but understand Anubis' aversion to this part of New York. I felt...intrusive, like there was something - or some _one_ \- that didn't want me there. Like I didn't belong there.

"Walt," I said suddenly. He looked at me concerned, and slowed down. "Walt, I want you to take me to the hospital."

"What?" His tone was alarmed. "The hospital? Sadie, why? Are you okay? What's wrong?" I waved away his worries.

"Walt, it's fine," I told him. "I just...I don't know. I just really want to go...to see the babies. Please, take me there." I could see he didn't want to - he didn't see how it would help any, but - eventually - he nodded and took me to the nearest hospital. Of course, both Walt _and_ Anubis wanted to go with me (which meant they _really_ didn't trust me to be okay) but after a while I got my way and they stayed by the car (good boys, anyone?) while I went inside.

With a little bit of glamour I was able to make it past staff or security guards. I mean, it wasn't like I was a terrorist or anything; if anything I was more of a masochist, or at the very least a glutton for punishment, for wanting to see the newborns.

They were as adorable as I thought they would be. Small, red, cute. My heart hurt so bad looking at them. When would I get to see my own child, wrapped up in a blue or pink bundle? When would I get to experience the joys and pains of motherhood? It wasn't fair! Even Carter was a father, twice over. Of course, I love my two nephews, Julius and Iskander, to death and would never want anything bad to happen to them, but I was still jealous, especially of Zia. She was a mother, but not me. My brother's children were still not _mine_.

So wrapped up in my internal anguish that I didn't notice the woman next to me, who had seemed to be there ever since I was. Around Carter's age, but a little bit older, with curly blond hair, she was a pretty woman. Both an engagement and wedding ring adorned her finger. A sudden anger rose inside me - she was probably here to admire her newborn; what a lucky git she was. I was a little ashamed of my feelings towards the stranger, but that hardly squelched them.

"Which is yours?" I asked, forcing the words through clenched teeth. Might as well be polite, right? The woman turned to me, startled. She looked a bit confused, but mostly sad. So sad it nearly hurt to look. Her eyes were a startling shade of gray.

"Oh!" she said. "Oh, no, none of them." Her tone was very...controlled like she was trying not to be so emotional. I cocked my head, a little bit puzzled and a lot bit curious.

"I..." the woman faltered. She took a deep breath and said very softly, "I lost a baby today. Miscarriage, you know."

Oh gods. She was just like me.

"I am so sorry," I stammered, though I of all people should know how futile and unwelcome that is. But the woman just nodded. Feeling the urge to — I don't know, clear the air, comfort her, _something_ — I said, "I lost a baby today, too." The woman regarded me, then gave a sad, defeated sigh.

"Then I am also sorry." She paused, then put out her hand. "I'm Annabeth. Annabeth Chase-Jackson."

I took it and shook. An odd sensation passed over me, a rippling of...something. I shrugged it off and said, "Sadie Kane."

We were silent for a moment, then a wry smile appeared on Annabeth's face. "Just couldn't help it, huh?" she said, and I knew what she meant. Both she and I had been drawn to the babies that _had_ made it to term - the ones that were not ours.

"Was..." I hesitated, not wanting to pry into her life, but finally I said, "Was this your...first loss?" Annabeth nodded sadly.

"You?" I closed my eyes, feeling the tears already pricking at my lashes.

"My third." Her eyes widened, perhaps in disbelief.

"Oh. Oh, that's...that's even worse!" I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Annabeth paused, then asked carefully, "Does...does that mean you don't have any...other children?" I shook my head.

"You?" I asked. Her face brightened just a bit, and that alone gave me my answer. Once again I felt intense jealousy over this stranger, who at least was already a mother.

"Yes," she answered. "I have three: one girl and two boys." A small smile played at her mouth, like the very thought of her kids made her happy. I had seen that same look on Zia's face hundreds of times before.

"Well," I said, wanting to add something, "my brother has two children - boys. One- and two-years-old."

"That's how old my sons are!" she exclaimed. "My daughter is five."

"What are their names?" I asked, rather curious.

"The girl is Alayla, but she insists on 'Ally,' and the boys are Luke and Ethan," Annabeth answered

"Annabeth!" We turned at the shout to see a man running toward us. He was probably Annabeth's age, with black hair and a strong build. Belatedly I realized this must be Annabeth's husband.

"Annabeth," he said again when he reached us. "Are you...are you okay? You've been gone a while. The kids are getting cranky." Annabeth smiled at him and kissed him.

"I'm fine. Oh, Percy, this is Sadie Kane," Annabeth introduced, turning to me. "Sadie, this is my husband, Percy Jackson." Percy smiled pleasantly at me and stuck out his hand. His eyes were beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful I'd ever seen: they were the color of the sea, bluish-green, or, maybe greenish-blue.

As I took his hand I was nearly overwhelmed by the amount of raw _power_ rolling off him. I managed to grit my teeth and smile back at him, but it was hard. This was much worse then the subtle pulse I had felt from Annabeth — and now I berated myself for not thinking more of that rippling sensation. I would have to talk to Anubis about this.

"It's nice to meet you," I ground out. I said to Annabeth, "You know, I should probably get back too. My husband is probably worried about me." Both of them, I thought idly. No doubt Walt _and_ Anubis were going out of their minds right now

Annabeth nodded. "I understand. Where do you live? Maybe we can meet again. I mean, if you don't mind," she added hastily. I considered it. I actually would like to see her again, even without investigating their strange power source. Thing was, though, Carter, Zia, Walt, and I (and Uncle Amos, occasionally) still lived at Brooklyn House, which to most people is a broken down warehouse. So I said,

"How about we back here tomorrow? Around 9:30, at the front doors, and we can go somewhere from there - a cafe or something?"

Annabeth nodded again. "Sounds good. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I nodded as well and headed out.

When I got back to the car, Walt jumped up and rushed over to me. "Are you okay?" His voice had a slight overlap, which meant that the two of them were sharing a voice. It was weird sometimes, when Walt and Anubis said the same thing at the same time — it freaked Carter out, though not as much as when it was Anubis speaking out of Walt's mouth — _that_ could get interesting, especially when they started arguing out loud.

I waved away their concerns and said I was fine. And, really, I was. Meeting Annabeth had been good for me. And I was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. I'd tell the guys about the power I felt from them after our little date

So I said to Walt, "Let's just drive."


	2. Coffee With a Potential Monster

Chapter Two — ANNABETH

"Mommy!"

I smiled as my daughter rushed at me, long black hair flying behind her. I leaned down to catch her and then swept her up in a big hug. Luke, following his beloved older sister's lead, toddled over and held up his hands, a pleading look in his green eyes. Before I could figure out how to pick him up, too, Percy did, waiting for me to reposition Ally on my hip before giving me Luke. My third child, Ethan, was sitting on the floor, LEGOs scattered about. His eyes were drooping, heavy with sleep, though he did smile and cry "Mama!" when he saw me.

Ally pulled back and said, "Mommy, are you better now? Daddy said you were looking at the babies 'cause you were sad. I asked him why you were sad and he said our brother or sister got lost and you can't find 'em." I looked at my daughter and almost started crying again. Ally was advanced for her age, and understood things better than most five-year-olds. She would feel insulted if I brushed this off or covered it up.

So I said,

"Well, honey, Daddy's right. Mommy was sad. I was sad because I was going to have another baby, but - but now I'm not." Ally cocked her head, then gave me a kiss.

"It's okay, Mommy," she said. "Once Baby realizes what a great Mommy and Daddy they'll have, and what great siblings they'll have, they'll come back, I promise." I laughed at that and kissed her back. Luke started squirming, so Percy took him and put him down next to Ethan. The brothers then promptly fell asleep on each other, Ethan's dark head lying on Luke's shoulder, a sharp contrast to Luke's golden hair.

I smiled at the sight. Shifting Ally so we were both more comfortable, I said, to Percy's and Ally's great relief, that I was ready to go home.

~~~

"Did you feel it?" I asked Percy later, when we were getting ready for bed. He seemed confused, but then realization flickered on his face and he nodded.

"Yeah. Any idea what 'it' was?" I sighed and shook my head. It was frustrating not knowing what Sadie Kane was. When we shook hands, I had felt a spark of power surge through me. It was foreign and disconcerting, and I hadn't liked it, despite how friendly Sadie was.

"I suppose she could be a demigod," I mused, "but I've never felt that power rush - not even from you or Thalia or Nico - Jason or Hazel either, so she's not Roman." I sighed again. Percy put his arm around me as we sunk back into the covers.

"You'll figure it out, Wise Girl," he soothed. "You've had...a pretty rough day. This Sadie person probably isn't anything to worry about. Are you planning to go tomorrow?" I considered this. Despite how unsettled her aura had made me, I felt comfortable with Sadie. I realized I would like to see her again. I nodded. "Yeah. And hey, maybe I'll figure out what she is."

"Sounds good," Percy said after some thought. He turned the light off and was soon out like a light, but I stayed awake for a long time, wondering what in the world could be in store for me.

~~~

I glanced at my watch, then tapped my foot. She wasn't very late, but my ADHD wouldn't let me keep still. Thankfully I had been able to slip out of the house without any of the kids waking up. It was Sunday, so there were no Saturday cartoons they would get up early for. In fact, I had nearly been out the door before Percy shuffled out of our bedroom, yawning and rubbing his eyes, to kiss me goodbye.

Ah. There she was. I waved to get her attention, and she waved back in acknowledgment. I smiled when she finally caught up, and something shiny got my eye - she had three necklaces on. One was that of an Egyptian ankh, the symbol for eternal life, and another was a simple circle; both the ankh and the circle were gold. The third necklace looked sort of like an angel. I narrowed my eyes and racked my brain for the symbol. I had seen it before, but I wasn't sure where or what it meant.

"Hey, Sadie," I greeted, resolving to ask her about it later.

"Hey," she returned. "Sorry I'm late; we had some...monkey business at the house. My...ah, my nephews like to, uh, roughhouse a bit." I nodded, understanding. The kids could get pretty crazy with their games, especially when Ally used her small control over water.

"So your nephews are visiting, or something?" I said as we walked, heading for a small cafe Percy and I go to sometimes. Sadie shook her head.

"My brother lives with us," she said. Then she reconsidered. "Or, well, we sort of live with them. Well, see, we share the house — it's technically our uncle's, but he's away a lot. We've spent most of our life there, and it's big enough, so we just stay there." She ended her explanation with a shrug.

"Seems reasonable," I said. I bit my lip, then decided to ask, "What does your necklace mean? The angel. And, well, the circle, too. I know 'ankh' means life."

Sadie seemed surprised that I asked, but answered easily enough, "The circle is a _shen_ amulet — it's supposed to represent eternal love, something like that." She smiled, almost shyly. "My husband made it for me – he has a matching one. He – he's a jewelry maker." I nodded approvingly. She continued, "The angel is a _tyet_ – knot of Isis – an Egyptian goddess, you know. It was a gift from my dad. He was an Egyptologist."

Egyptian. Hmm. That seemed important somehow. I stored away that information for later.

"So what do you do?" Sadie asked me. I sat up straight, quite proud to answer,

"I'm an architect." I felt a sort of smug satisfaction when I saw the new respect on her face. I had a pretty good job, too, at a good firm. Of course, nothing could compare to the work I'd done on Olympus, but nobody else really needed to know about that. "What about you? What do you do?"

I saw her eyes light up, and I knew she enjoyed her job as much as I enjoyed mine. "I'm a fashion designer," she said. A fashion designer and a jewelry maker. Pretty good combination.

"What about your brother?" I asked, a bit curious.

"Oh, Carter, he's a professor, specifically Egyptian history. Zia, my sister-in-law, is a self-defense instructor."

"Pretty diverse," I commented. Sadie just smiled.

"Yeah, I guess. How about your husband, what's he do?" Then almost as an afterthought, she added, "How long have you been married, anyway?"

"We've been married seven years," I answered. "And he – well, he watches the kids. He is available as a substitute teacher, but he likes being at home, and since being an architect is good money, it works out." Sadie nodded.

So we went on like that for a while. I didn't get any closer in figuring out what Sadie was or where her power came from, but I found it didn't matter. It was unlike me, but I decided I didn't care very much. She didn't seem dangerous, and she was very friendly, sarcastic, funny...she kind of reminded me of Thalia.

At some point she spotted something behind me, and grinned. Glancing at me, she said before getting up, "Now you can meet _my_ husband." I twisted around in my chair to see a tall African-American man approaching. When he reached her, Sadie gave him a big kiss before turning to me. I stood up and smiled.

"Annabeth, this is my husband Walt Stone. Walt, this is my friend, Annabeth Chase-Jackson. I was telling you about her yesterday." I offered my hand, which he took, also smiling. Suddenly though, as soon as we shook hands, two things happened: one, I was nearly crushed by the power – and the stench – of death radiating off Sadie's husband. It made me think of Nico, and Hazel, except to a much higher degree, nearly that of their father, but not quite. And two, Walt paled, and then his face twisted into a snarl as he glared at me, his warm brown eyes turning icy cold. His lips curled back from his teeth, like a feral dog about to pounce.

Sadie saw his reaction and she leaned in, hissing in his ear. He looked at her and, though he didn't say anything, she continued berating him. I didn't quite catch what she said, but I did hear one word: Anubis.

Walt turned back to me, and his features were calmer, but his "It's nice to meet you" sounded forced. Taken aback, I managed a "Likewise" before Sadie practically dragged him to their car.

I watched them go, feeling utterly confused and a little insulted. Whatever had I done to receive such a reaction?


	3. Coincidences? I Think Not

Chapter Three — SADIE

"What in Ra's name was _that_ , Anubis?" I demanded as we drove home. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles had turned white. My little outing with Annabeth had been great, and then what had my husband gone and done? He started snarling at her like a dog!

"I'm sorry, Sadie." Anubis' mournful voice drifted out of Walt's mouth. "It's - well, your new friend is...she's a _Greek_." I glanced at him, taking my eyes off the road for a moment before going back. His answer didn't clear things up at all.

"That doesn't make any sense," I complained. "What does her nationality have to do with anything?"

Anubis sighed and tried to explain. "Well, Sadie, you know the Egyptian gods exist." I nodded and he continued, "Well, so, too, do the gods of Ancient Greece and Rome."

I gaped at him, then at the road. What? But that – well, actually, I guess it's no crazier than Egyptian gods being real. Vaguely I remembered something Amos had told us, the very first time we came to the 21st Nome, that fateful night Dad released the gods: _Manhattan has other problems. Other gods._ He must have meant the Greeks and Romans.

"Do Greeks have flying horses?" I asked, remembering something else from years ago.

My question startled Anubis but he nodded. "Yes. Pegasi."

Hmm. So Carter hadn't been completely crazy after all, that one time.

"Alright," I began slowly as we pulled up to Brooklyn House. "So, Greek and Roman gods also exist. You said Annabeth was a Greek." I paused, then said, "Are you saying...Annabeth is really a _Greek god?"_

Anubis laughed. "Oh, no. No, no, no, Sadie. It's – she – well, you're sort of close. Annabeth isn't a god. She's the daughter of one."

My eyes widened. No wonder I had felt power from her – she was part god! But how was that possible? I asked Anubis that, and he explained,

"The Greco-Roman gods are not like us. They have a form all on their own, and do not need a host to stay in this world. They are as corporeal as humans, and so can..." he trailed off, hesitantly, then finished, "They can do the same things as humans."

"Oh," I said, my head spinning a little from this new information. I thought of Percy, and how his power had nearly crushed me. "I think her husband might be one, too." I told Anubis about the surge of power I had felt from Percy, and he nodded.

"He's probably the son of a more powerful god," he replied. "Demigod children of, say, Zeus, are usually much more powerful than the rest."

"Demigods? Is that what they're called?" I asked, mildly curious. I realized, then, that we were still in the car, but I didn't feel like getting out. I just wanted to hear more about this other group of gods and their children.

"Yes," Anubis answered. "That, or half-bloods. They can either be Greek or Roman, depending on what form their godly parent was in when the child was conceived. So a daughter of Hades is sort of the same as a daughter of Pluto, but just a different, ah, nationality, if you will."

"Hmm. Can the godly parents...can they pass on things like hair and eye color?" I asked, thinking back to the brilliance of Percy's eyes. Even Annabeth's gray eyes were unearthly. Was it a mark of their divine genetics?

"Oh yes," Anubis said. "In fact, a way to pick out a child of Athena is to look at their eyes - a beautiful gray, just like their mother's."

My eyes widened. Gray eyes. A demigod.

"I think I know who Annabeth's godly parent is," I said.

Anubis looked at me curiously. "Who?"

"Athena."

His mouth made an 'Oh' expression, as if he was just realizing it himself. I felt a little smug that I figured it out before he did. Something still nagged me, though, about this whole thing.

"But, you know, you still haven't told me why you went all 'Scary-Half-Jackal-Snarling' on Annabeth..." I reminded him.

He flinched and looked down, ashamed. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yes, well, it starts from the fall of Egypt at the hands of Cleopatra, when Egypt became a Roman province."

"Okay, so I get my you might be mad at the Romans," I said. "But Annabeth is Greek. I thought Egyptians _liked_ the Greeks." Somehow, that seemingly unimportant and boring fact Carter told me once stayed with me. Apparently the ancient Egyptians saw Alexander the Great as a semi-divine savior from the Persians, creating the Ptolemaic dynasty. Like I said, boring, but useful at the moment.

Anubis shook his head. "True, but remember that Cleopatra was also of Greek ancestry. Also, though - you know how those gods are usually lumped together, Greco-Roman? That's because they're the same." His voice turned bitter as he continued, "The Greeks, they were cowards. They gave up their own identities to the enemy, becoming Roman. And, when we begged them for help against the Romans, they refused. Instead, because they had switched forms, they not only wouldn't help us, they _became_ the enemy - and attacked us! We, who gave them refuge when they fled from Typhon. They conquered us and, because we were so weak, allowed our magicians to banish us." Anubis looked at me, his eyes hard and serious. "Those Greeks are bad news, Sadie – I don't think it's a good idea for you to interact with this Annabeth."

I was quiet for a moment, thinking. Finally I said, "I get why you're mad, Anubis, but that happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Things are different now. I really like Annabeth, and I'd like to meet her again. I don't care if she's Greek or part god. So, if we meet again – could you PLEASE try to be civil? Let Walt have control? Do it for me."

He still looked unsure, but eventually he nodded. "I'll try."

~~~

So we finally decided to go in the house, where we were greeted with exuberant hugs from three primates - one baboon and two toddlers. I laughed as Jules and Kander got all wrapped up in my legs. Khufu decided to scramble up Walt's back and sit atop his head, which he found a little less adorable.

"Aun' Sadie, you home!" Kander exclaimed joyfully, grinning at me. I smiled fondly as I knelt down to hug him. Both boys had Zia's coloring and Carter's mop of brown curls. Only Kander had her honey-colored eyes, though. Jules had Carter's warm brown.

"That's right, kiddo, Aunt Sadie's home," I said. I kissed them both on the forehead, which they squirmed away from, giggling, before I asked, "And where are Mama and Papa?"

"On deck wi' Phip," Jules answered. Then he started bouncing in place. "Oh guess what! Unk' Amos is here!" I raised my eyebrow and looked at Walt, who looked absolutely ridiculous with Khufu still on his head.

"Coincidence?" I asked, doubting it myself. Magicians hardly had such normal, mundane things as _coincidences_.

"Probably not," Walt admitted. I sighed.

"Alright then," I said. I smiled at my nephews and told them, "Lead the way!" The boys grinned then nearly tripped over themselves in their race to the balcony. I laughed at them, a sort of bitter sweetness settling over my heart.

"Uncle Amos," I greeted when I saw him. My uncle's eyes brightened as we hugged. It had been a while since I'd last seen him. I said hello to Carter and Zia and then Walt and I sat down. I drummed my fingers on the edge of the table and said, real casually, "So, Uncle Amos, what do you know about demigods?"

Amos spat out his tea as Walt glanced sharply at me. Carter and Zia looked at each other, then at me, confusion and curiosity on their faces. I bit my lip as my uncle recovered from his shock.

"H-how in the _world_ did you hear about _that?"_ he demanded. I looked at Walt, who nodded encouragingly. Reassured, I spilled out my story, from the power I felt from Annabeth and Percy to Anubis' explanation. I finished with, "That's why you warned us away from Manhattan, isn't it?"

My brother and sister-in-law's eyes were wide as saucers, while Amos was rubbing his temples, like he had a bad headache. He sighed, and then nodded reluctantly.

"Yes. I didn't want you to get caught up in their conflicts. Magicians and demigods have been separated for a long time, for the safety of everyone involved. What do you think sparked the War of 1812?"

The British?

"We've never interacted with them since then?" Carter asked, sounding mystified. Zia looked equally astounded, but she also more preoccupied as she had to make sure the boys didn't fall into the pond.

"Oh, there may have been a few accidental meetings," Amos answered. "In fact, I'm sure there must have been. But usually Iskander" Kander looked up briefly, frightened by the sound of his full name, before relaxing when he realized Amos didn't mean him "would manipulate some glamour to erase the encounter from the magician's mind. I can only assume the Greeks and/or Romans would do the same."

We were quiet for a moment, before I asked, "You won't do that do _me_ , will you, Uncle Amos?" He seemed shocked that I would ask that, but after a few moments he sighed and said,

"No, Sadie, I won't. You don't seem to find this Annabeth dangerous - most children of Athena, if you're correct, aren't. No offense to them or their mother, of course," he added hastily, as if the goddess was personally eavesdropping on our conversation. "Her husband might be a problem, but...we'll see. You were right, Sadie, times have changed. Maybe...maybe we can learn to live in peace for once." I grinned and got up to hug him, even giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Uncle Amos!" He reddened a bit, but I was already heading to the computer. I needed to look up a number.


	4. Warning: Children Are Flammable Objects

Chapter 4 — ANNABETH

"Percy," I whispered, nudging my still-sleeping husband. He mumbled and rolled away from me. I poked him harder and repeated his name. Finally he sighed and looked at me, obviously cranky at being awoken. I couldn't help giggling at his bed head, and I teased him, saying, "You don't have the Curse of Achilles anymore; you shouldn't be so tired." He smiled and retorted,

"I'm catching up on all the sleep I missed when I had it." I laughed then and sat up. I had taken a personal day today. It was _so_ unlike me, but the experience with Sadie and her husband had so unnerved me, I knew I wouldn't be able to focus on anything remotely work-related until I figured out the mystery.

"So," Percy asked, sitting up, "why did you wake me up? Why are _you_ up? Didn't you take today off?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep. Besides, it's nine-thirty. I want to have a meaningful breakfast before we have to clean up." Percy stared at me, not comprehending. I sighed and reminded him, "Our friends are coming over, remember? Frank, Hazel, Nico, Chris, Jason, Leo, Piper and the kids?" He still looked blank for a moment, before a light went off in his eyes.

"Oh," he said. "Oh – oh right! Right, I knew that." I laughed and got up, pulling on his arm. Percy groaned again but eventually got up, too.

"Alright," he sighed, not happy at all. "Let's get cleaning."

~~~

I smiled as I opened the door to reveal Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Frank and Hazel's four-year-old son, Sammy. Sammy, an adorable and sweet-natured little boy, looked a lot like his uncle, (and grandfather, I supposed) with his father's face. He grinned cutely at me, and I grinned back before stepping aside to let his family and him pass.

"Hey guys," I greeted. Hazel hugged me while Frank and Nico smiled. Percy grinned at both of them as the kids rushed in to say hi.

"Hi Aunt Hazel! Hi Uncle Frank! Hi Uncle Nico! Hi Sammy!" Ally said in a rush. Luke smiled shyly and Ethan hid behind his brother. I sighed, wishing my boys weren't so timid. I had to wonder why, sometimes, because it hadn't come from either Percy or me, and Ally was so bubbly herself. I figured the boys would take after their sister in personality, since Luke adored her, and whatever Luke did, Ethan did, too. But, ah well.

Another knock on the door revealed Jason, his and Reyna's five-year-old daughter Thalia (who, with her mother's black hair and father's electric blue eyes, looked very much like her namesake), Leo, Piper, and their two children, Esperanza (the same age as Ally and Thalia) and Aiden, who at three-years-old was as mischievous as his father.

Ally went to greet them as well, bouncing up and down on her heels. Sammy and Luke approached Aiden, who was probably their best friend, and of course Luke's little shadow accompanied him. Percy had planned this playdate over a month ago/ It was a happy coincidence that Jason, Reyna, Hazel, and Frank would be in town at this time, as they all still lived in San Francisco. Occasionally they came to New York to see how Camp Half-Blood was doing, as Greeks went to San Fran to look after Camp Jupiter. After learning of the other's existence during the Second Giant War, Chiron and Lupa had set up a regular check-up session, where the Greeks went to study the Romans, and vice versa. Also, of course, Jason would visit Leo and Piper; Hazel and Frank would visit Percy and we would do the same (and we might swing by Dad's house, too, sometimes).

The doorbell rang this time, and when I opened the door two energetic and stocky six-year-olds raced past me into the house. Chris groaned and shot me an apologetic look as he shouted a reprimand at his twin sons.

"Andre! Gunther! Get back here!" In Chris' arms, his and Clarisse's three-year-old daughter, Silena, squirmed around so he put her down. Her brothers had stopped in their tracks and looked unsure if they should listen to their father. Eventually, though, they toddled back and apologized to me when told. I smiled and told them they were forgiven and sent them in with the kids along with their sister.

As the kids played in the living room, we adults converged in the dining room, talking about this and that. Piper said to me, "Wow, Annabeth, I didn't think you would be here today. You _never_ take off."

I shrugged and smiled. I wasn't sure if I should tell them about Sadie yet, so I just said, "Well, it's been awhile since I've seen you guys, and I also felt like I needed some...breathing time, so I figured one day wouldn't kill me." Piper nodded, a bit sympathetically (because of course the baby came up) and accepted my answer. Wanting to take the spotlight off me, I said to Nico, "Speaking of jobs, how's the search going, Nico?"

The son of Hades scowled, and I had my answer. Nico had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do, so he had a hard time finding a job. Because he could not find one, he split his time between the Underworld, Camp Half-Blood, and Frank and Hazel's house. I knew he would prefer to just stay in his father's realm, but Hades, in a sense, had kicked him out, wanting Nico to "get a job, get a house, and get a life, at least until spring, because _apparently_ , Persephone is _concerned_ about me - personally I just think they want some 'alone time' during her time there, if you know what I mean." Hence his rooming with his sister.

"Well, you'll find something," Percy encouraged his cousin. "Have you tried an undertaker, or a mortician? That'd be good for you." Nico rolled his eyes while Hazel, Piper, and I snickered.

"Thanks, Perce," Nico drawled. "Nice to know you care."

"Anytime," my husband quipped.

"Hey Nico," I said, suddenly inspired. He looked at me, expectant. I bit my lip as I wondered how I would word my question. Cautiously I asked, "Have...do you know if you...if you have any other siblings? My age, a little younger – actually around your age?" That was the only way I could explain the power of death Walt Stone possessed. Nico looked confused, and frowned as he often did when puzzled.

"No. That's not right," he said. "I mean, I don't see how, because Hades never broke the oath, and even if he had kids the _minute_ the prophecy was fulfilled, they'd be eleven at the most."

"I know," I said sighing.

"Why do you ask?" Hazel asked, obviously curious. I hesitated, but these were my friends, and if Nico was ever going to tell me anything — if he knew anything, which I was pretty sure he did — he would have to know the reason behind my questions. So I told them everything, from the miscarriage to meeting Sadie and the small power rush I'd felt from her, then meeting her husband and the huge blast he gave off.

When I was almost finished, I remembered something Sadie had said that I had thought important. I wrapped up my story with, "Oh yeah, and I think it might have to do with Egypt."

Everyone was quiet, and only the kids' play broke the silence. I looked at each of their faces. They were all stunned. Particularly I looked at Nico - his face had gone pale, more so than usual.

"What could they be?" Jason wondered, sounding worried.

"They may be powerful, but maybe they aren't dangerous," Frank suggested.

My guests started thinking out loud as to what Sadie and her husband were. I was still looking at Nico, and so was Hazel. She regarded her brother curiously, then said to him,

"You know something, don't you." Nico bit his lip and looked unsure. Eventually he sighed and nodded.

"But," he warned, "I'm really not supposed to say anything."

"Did you swear it on the Styx?" I demanded. Slowly he shook his head. "Then technically you _can_ tell us. Please, Nico? I think it's important that we know." Nico sighed and seemed to be debating whether or not he should agree. Finally he sighed again and said,

"Sadie and her husband Walt are probably either godling hosts, or at the very least, magicians."

That, of course, cleared nothing up and caused more confusion. _Thanks, Nico,_ I thought. _Because **that** makes sense._

"Godlings? Like, demigods?" Percy asked, obviously confused.

"Magicians, like Trivia and Hecate's kids?" asked Frank, likewise puzzled. Nico shook his head.

"No. 'Godling'...well, it is a very old word for 'demigod,' but it stopped being used when the Greeks started interacting with...with the Egyptians." He paused, then continued, "See, the Egyptian gods are real too, but they're different from our gods. They hardly interacted with humans, so they never established bodies for themselves. To stay in this world, they need a container for their divine form. That could be an object, an animal...or even a human, which is the preferred. These human 'containers' are called "hosts" or "godlings." Basically, they get possessed by the spirit of the god, which enables the god to live in the human world. It's...it's sort of like the Spirit of Delphi living inside Rachel, her chosen host. You get it?"

We all stared at him. I was just blown away. There was a _third_ set of gods? They _possessed_ people? I could see my friends were also trying to digest this strange new information.

"So...so Sadie and Walt have _gods_ inside them?" I said, trying to clarify.

Nico nodded. "At least Walt does, if he has that much power. Sadie might have been a host before - or maybe not - but now I'm guessing she's just a normal magician."

Jason frowned and pointed out, "Yeah, you said that, but what does it mean? They're not children of Trivia or Hecate, but they can do magic?" Nico sighed and nodded.

"Yes. The Egyptians, because their civilization is much older than Greece or Rome, have more power, and were skilled in channeling their gods' magic. Back in Ancient Egypt, there was a society of magicians called the Per Ankh, or House of Life. At the fall of Egypt, the House went underground but I'm pretty sure they're still around."

"So there's been another set of gods — completely different from ours — and no one's noticed, or bothered to tell us?" Chris said, incredulous.

"The Greeks and Romans didn't know about each other until twelve years ago," Frank pointed out. "If the gods didn't tell us about these magicians they probably had a good reason."

"And maybe we _have_ interacted, but we just didn't know it," Hazel suggested. "Maybe our gods and theirs manipulated the Mist so we wouldn't know about it."

"But does that mean we shouldn't seek Sadie out?" Jason questioned.

"But _we_ get along now," Percy countered.

"Annabeth," Piper said suddenly. I looked at her. "Do you think Sadie knows what you are? Does she know you're...different?"

I hadn't thought of that. If I had felt power from her, had she felt power from me? If not from me, she definitely would have from Percy, a son of the Big Three.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Possibly."

Just then the phone rang. Percy and I ignored it, deciding to let the answer machine get it, but too soon the ring was cut off and then my daughter came into the dining room, holding the cordless.

"Mommy, it's for you," she announced. I sighed and knelt down to her level.

"Sweetie, didn't Daddy and I tell you not to answer the phone unless we tell you to?" She looked down and nodded. I sighed. "Did you know who it was?" This time she shook her head.

"But I knew it was important," she insisted. I was going to brush that off, but her tone and the seriousness in her eyes made me pause. Ally was...sometimes she seemed to just _know_ things with such certainty and accuracy, it was almost scary. Trying to keep the smile on my face, I asked, "How?"

My daughter shrugged. Deciding to deal with this later, I took the phone.

"Hello? Annabeth here," I said into the receiver.

"Annabeth? It's me, Sadie." I was startled. I guessed Sadie looked up my number, but I was completely unprepared for this - I wasn't even sure she would contact me again, after her husband made his dislike of me so apparent. My friends, who could also hear, leaned in when they heard her voice.

Sadie continued, "I looked up your number – I hope you don't mind – but I just wanted to apologize for my husband's actions. And – and I understand that you might not want to ever see me again, but I was hoping we could meet in person again, sometime. Later today? I mean, no, I'm sure you're very busy - I wasn't sure you'd be home-"

"I'm...I have friends over right now," I said, interrupting her tirade of words. "But seeing each other does sound good. Um, let's see-"

"Invite her over now," Percy whispered. I raised my eyebrow and, telling Sadie to hold on a moment before covering the mouthpiece, said,

"Really? Do you think that's a good-"

"YES!" All my friends shouted. Taken aback I said to Sadie,

"Um, actually, my friends would like to meet you. I mean, can you come over now? Only if you don't have anything going on, of course. And if you want to," I added.

"Oh no, that's fine! Now is fine. Um, what's your address?" I gave it to her, and she told me she'd be there in half an hour. My friends and I waited anxiously for her arrival, making idle chatter. When the doorbell rang I nearly jumped out of my seat in my haste to open the door. Sadie stood on our porch with two Arabic-looking boys, about Luke and Ethan's age. I guessed these must be Sadie's nephews.

"Hey, Annabeth," Sadie greeted. "I'm sorry, I guess I should have told you I'm bringing my nephews. My brother and sister-in-law had to work — so did my husband actually, but I had a day off so–"

"It's fine," I assured her. "In fact, it's perfect, we have my friends' kids over." Sadie looked relieved.

"Oh, good," she said. "Well this is Jules." She pushed the older boy forward, who smiled widely at me. "And this is Kander — really Iskander but I call him Kander." The younger boy was shyer than his brother and tried to hide behind his aunt. Sadie shook her head and prodded Kander forward.

"It's alright, baby," she said. "This is a friend of Aunt Sadie's. She has two boys your age, and lots of other kids here to play with. Don't you want to say hi?" Kander shook his head, pulling away as his brother tried pulling him out. Sadie sighed, then said,

"Alright, Kander, you can stay with me. Jules, do you want to go with the others?" Her nephew nodded emphatically so we walked in so I could introduce him. The kids all stopped what they were doing to see who the new arrival was. Ally and Silena were the first to come over. My daughter regarded the boy almost suspiciously, dark green eyes narrowed, as I explained who he was.

Silena took his hand and led him further into the room, where the others surrounded him. Ally stayed back, watching, then looked at me and asked,

"Mommy, Greeks like Egyptians, right?" Startled by her question, I couldn't answer for a moment. I heard Sadie make a squeaking noise beside me, and I noticed her hand go to her _tyet._

"Of - of course they do, sweetie," I finally managed. "Yes, they like each other very much." My baby girl nodded, satisfied, before scampering off to join in the fun.

Sadie and I looked at each other. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, and that made me nervous. Eventually she shrugged and, a tight smile on her face, said,

"Kids say such strange things sometimes, don't they?" I sighed in relief and nodded, plastering a nervous smile on my own face.

"Oh, yes," I agreed. "I have no idea what they're talking about half the time." I turned toward the dining room, where Percy and the rest were waiting. Kander toddled after us, clutching his aunt's hand tightly.

"Hey guys," I said. They all stood up when we walked in, and the introductions commenced. Sadie shook all of their hands, and as she did I watched for her reaction. Her expression didn't change as she greeted Piper, Leo, and Chris. Frank earned a very small frown before turning back into a smile. Her control went all downhill when she touched Jason. Her eye developed a tic and her lips pursed before she smiled again, albeit a little forced. I remembered how startled she had looked when she shook hands with Percy, and I supposed it made sense that the most power would come from children of the Big Three.

With Hazel, Sadie eyes widened, and the tic became more apparent. Her smile faltered again, and she seemed incapable of recovering it. But it was Nico that took the cake. Her jaw actually dropped and her face was so shocked it might have been funny under different circumstances. As Sadie struggled to regain her composure, her nephew gazed at Nico and Hazel. He cocked his head, studied the siblings, then said,

"Ya feel like Unk' Walt." My friends and I frowned in confusion, except Nico, who looked rather amused by the child. Sadie, however, looked a bit nervous.

"Now, now, Kander," she began, "you really can't just say things like that out of the blue." The boy dipped his head at his aunt's reprimand, but then looked back at Nico. The son of Hades, in turn, smiled and dropped to the toddler's height.

"Oh?" he said. "And how is that? What does your uncle feel like?"

"Wavy," the child declared. "I feel really...really cold stuff comin' off 'im and you. Jules say it's 'cause Unk' Walt has Anu–"

"Iskander!" Sadie shrieked. Her nephew stopped talking, looking confused at her outburst. He also seemed a little hurt. Sadie smoothed her features and smiled at the boy.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you remember what we said about Uncle Walt's...condition, right?" Kander nodded slowly, and Sadie let out a sigh. I knew somehow that whatever the boy was going to say was important — and a secret. Perhaps it had something to do with them being magicians?

"Alright, baby...are you sure you don't want to join the others? I'm sure they'd like to meet you," Sadie persuaded. Kander thought about it, then very reluctantly nodded. Sadie seemed relieved as her nephew toddled off. She looked around the table apologetically.

"Sorry about that," she said, still a bit embarrassed. "Kander doesn't talk much; I don't know why he started saying that." She laughed, but it was very obvious how nervous she was. I wondered again why she didn't want her nephew to finish his sentence — what did Walt have in him?

"That's all right," Percy assured her. "Our daughter is like that, too, talking on and on about odd stuff." Percy was pretty much right — Ally _did_ say odd things at time but I didn't like brushing it off so easily. I supposed we'd have to look into it later, but I decided to worry about that later. Soon, Sadie and the rest of us started talking, easing into conversations about our families and jobs and keeping it totally god-free. The noise in the living room got louder, the playful shrieks shriller, and that made us stop and frown, parents worried about their children. Sadie, Chris, Piper, Jason, Percy and I got up, about to check on them, but then Luke came running into the room, looking frightened.

"Mama!" he cried. "Mama, Aiden and Kander on fire!"

"What?" Sadie and Piper gasped. It took me a moment to wrap my head around that comment, and by then the worried mother and aunt had dashed into the living room, followed by, well, everyone else. I followed as well, clutching Luke's hand, and was quite startled by the sight that greeted me.

Aiden and Kander were, indeed, on fire — or, their hands were. They seemed to be showing off powers as the others watched, mesmerized. Ally and Julius were trying to get them to put it out, but Kander paid no heed to his brother, and Aiden likewise disobeyed my daughter. Ally looked incensed as she threatened to douse them from head to toe if they didn't put out their fires in _3–2–_

"Iskander Khepri Kane!" Sadie bellowed as Piper growled "Aiden Tristan Valdez!" The boys whirled to see their respective aunt and mother glaring at them. The flames flickered, then diminished instantly and the two fire users cowered beside each other, deciding they needed to band together against the wall of maternal rage in front of them.

Sadie got into it first, pulling both her nephews aside as she yelled at Kander,

"Iskander, what have I and your mother _told_ you about...about using your magic? You could get in trouble, you could hurt yourself by accident, hurt _other people._ Oh, and gods, that other boy was on fire too; did you _do_ that? Iskander!" Sadie looked back at Aiden, fearful and worried. The boy was getting a similar tirade from Piper as the other children nervously gathered around their parents. I still had Luke while Ally and Ethan were wrapped up in Percy's arms.

"Sadie," I said. She stopped her ranting and looked at me.

I said as gently as I could, "Aiden's fine." I glanced quickly at Piper, who confirmed my statement with a quick nod. "He...he has fire powers, too." I paused, then said, "It's okay, Sadie. We all know. We know you and your family are magicians."


	5. I Know What You Are

Chapter Five — SADIE

When Annabeth said that, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Sure, I was angry with Kander, but at least he hadn't burned the other boy. And he was only one-year-old, of course he wanted to show off what he could do, but...

"I guess this means it's okay to tell you I know you're demigods?" I said half-heartedly. They seemed mildly surprised, but not too bad. A tug on my shirt had me looking at Kander and Jules' repentant faces.

"I sowwy, Aun' Sadie," Kander said mournfully, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes. Jules nodded vigorously from behind his brother, and I knelt down to embrace them.

"Oh, it's okay, babies," I told them. I pulled them to the front and put one hand on each of their shoulders, then looked back at the others, specifically Piper, Leo, and their son.

"He is all right, right?" I asked, wanting to make a absolutely sure. Piper nodded, a tired smile on her face.

"Yes, Aiden's fine," she answered. "Kander's okay, too, right?" I nodded, then turned back to Annabeth.

"So," I said, "what do we do now?" At that exact moment, my cell phone rang. Of course. I contemplated ignoring it, but at Annabeth's nod I picked up.

"Where in the Duat are you?!" screamed my sister-in-law right into my ear. She paused, then said, "You are not, of course, actually in the Duat, are you?"

"No, Zia, we're not," I assured her, sighing. I was a little annoyed with her; didn't she _trust_ me? I mean, I've watched the kids before, and everything turned out fine — okay, except for maybe that one time when Philip almost ate Jules, but that had been Walt's fault! Anyway, I told Zia,

"Calm down, Zia, we're fine. We're at a friend's house."

Zia said 'Who?' so incredulously, like I had absolutely no friends, that I felt like hanging up on her.

"Annabeth," I hissed out slowly. Zia was quiet for a moment, and I looked at the boys. Kander and Aiden were together again, under the watchful eye of Piper, and the rest of the kids had gone back to playing, including Jules, though he occasionally looked back at me. The adults, this time, were staying in the living room to keep things under control.

"You mean Annabeth, the demigod," Zia said flatly. She obviously didn't totally like the sound of that.

"Yes, Zia," I replied, "Annabeth the demigod."

"Why — wait, you are there now? In their house? They can _hear_ you?"

"Yes."

"But — but now they know you know they're demigods!" Zia sputtered.

"Yes, sister-in-law dear, we've been over this already," I said smoothly. "And, before you demand to know, _yes_ , they know we're magicians — and I didn't tell them."

Zia was quiet for a moment, no doubt mulling over what this meant for us. I, too, wondered what was going to happen now. Did we tell the Greek gods we knew about them? There _had_ been a reason we'd been separated, after all. I wonder what Dad and Mum would think of this — and, come to think of it, hadn't my mother said once that we would meet other gods?

"Sadie," Zia said finally, breaking me out of my reverie. "Give me the address." For some reason, that annoyed me.

"Why, Zia?" I asked, my tone suddenly icy. "You don't think I can handle this?"

Zia sighed. It was an impatient, why-do-I-have-to-deal-with-this-idiot kind of sigh, and it certainly didn't warm me up. She said, "Sadie, I am certainly sure you can handle this, but I want to make sure my sons are safe."

"Safe!" I cried, angry (and hurt) at her presumption. "You think I can't keep my nephews safe?" How could she think that? Did she think I couldn't, or, even worse, that I _wouldn't_ take care of her sons? Jules and Kander were my nephews, my _family_. I would never let anything hurt them, not if I could help it.

Maybe I shouldn't have reached so far, but I was still reeling from my third miscarriage, and my jealousy of Zia was fresh. Again I wondered what made her different than me, that she could carry and give birth to two healthy baby boys.

Zia was startled by my animosity, but perhaps she understood my defensiveness, because her tone softened. "Of course I think you can, Sadie; I _know_ you won't let anything hurt them. But — it's just, I've had a bad day, and I want to see my sons. Pease, Sadie, give me the address."

She asked so nicely, and I did feel bad for snapping at her, so I conceded and told her Annabeth and Percy's address. We hung up then, and I turned back to the group.

"My sister-in-law is coming over," I announced. A second later I wondered if that had been too direct. I mean, maybe they didn't want any more crazy magicians barging into their lives, and really, I wouldn't blame them. But Percy just shrugged like it was no big deal, and Annabeth said that was fine. Jules heard, and he knew what 'sister' was and what it meant to me, so he said all excitedly,

"Mama coming?" I smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded. My nephew clapped his hands in delight. "Papa coming, too?"

"No, sweetie, Papa's still working. But I'm sure he'll be excited to hear what you did today," I told him. He pouted a little, but then brightened up and went back to playing. I smiled, then looked up to see the demigods studying me. Jason, Frank, and Chris looked wary, as if they weren't sure I could be trusted, while Hazel and Piper just seemed kind of curious. Nico and Annabeth also looked like they were trying to figure me out, and Percy just seemed to relax, the most comfortable in my presence.

"So," I said. "Should we reintroduce ourselves?" I put my hand out, to anyone who would take it, and said,"Hi. Sadie Kane, former host of Isis, goddess of magic; Diviner magician of House of Life, located in Brooklyn the 21st Nome." Annabeth took my hand, shook, and said proudly,

"Annabeth Chase-Jackson, daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom." A little bit more hesitantly, the rest of the group told me their names and lineages.

"Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes."

"Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, god of fire, blacksmiths, and forges. Also, former Supreme Commander of the _Argo II_." Piper playfully smacked her husband for that, rolling her eyes. I wasn't sure what the Argo was (wasn't it a ship? Or maybe a movie?) but it didn't really matter.

"Hazel Levesque-Zhang, daughter of Pluto, god of the dead and riches." Hmm, we sort of had the same parentage. Sort of. Not really.

"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, Pluto's Greek counterpart."

"Frank Zhang, son of Mars, god of war, and descendant of Poseidon, god of the sea."

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. As you just heard from Frank, he's the really awesome god of the sea." Jason grinned and said,

"Oh, you think so? My dad's better, Jackson, just admit it!" Percy then started arguing before Annabeth cut them off, looking really annoyed. I suppressed some giggles as the men looked down, chagrined. Jason then looked at me and said,

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

"Nice to meet you all," I said, grinning. We stood there for a couple minutes, sizing each other up. Out of the blue, Frank burst out,

"I guess your whole family must be — magicians? If your nephew can do magic?"

"Yes," I answered. "My brother is one, too, of course, and so is my sister-in-law. Kander gets his...fire from his mother."

"Ah," Leo said. "It's sort of the reverse for Aiden; he gets his fire control from me."

"And you have it because...your father is the god of fire?" I guessed. Leo nodded. Intrigued, I asked, "So your children can inherit those powers, too?"

"They can, but not always," Jason answered. "It sort of depends on how powerful the godly ancestor is, and the different bloodlines. The child of two demigods would usually be stronger than the child of just one." I nodded thoughtfully. That made sense; it was like how Carter and I, before Jules and Kander, had been the most powerful magicians in a long time because of our double bloodline. I was fairly sure we had never got into as much magical fights as Jules and Kander did but Brooklyn House was just a bit more equipped to deal with squabbling siblings possessing unimaginable powers than the one we had had in Los Angeles.

A sudden knock on the door startled us, pulling me out of my thoughts. Percy approached it cautiously. Opening it, I was startled to see it revealed Zia. She looked a bit out of breath and her eyes were flickering every which way before they landed on me and then her boys.

"Can I help you?" Percy asked. I stepped forward and said,

"It's okay, this is Zia, my sister-in-law." Zia nodded at me and gave a little smile. She had barely stepped over the threshold when she was attacked by Jules and Kander, who were quite delighted to see her as they clung to her legs.

"Mama!" they cried. Zia beamed at them.

"Hello, my sweets. Have you been good for your aunt?" she asked. They both nodded. I wondered whether or not I should mention the fire incident, but before I could make up my mind, Jules did it for me. He exclaimed,

"Mama, Kander caught fire.'' Zia's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Her gaze shot to me, her eyes bewildered and a little angry, too. I held up my hands in a placating position.

"Now, don't worry, Zia. Everything turned out fine! Kander wasn't hurt, no one else was hurt, I've explained everything. We're fine. Everything's fine," I repeated, hoping that maybe saying it enough times would convince the fire mage.

She didn't look _totally_ convinced, but she didn't say anything more about it. She just gave her sons each a kiss on the forehead and and drew them closer to her.

Then her head shot up, and her expression turned sheepish. Turning to face Percy, she said apologetically, "Oh, do forgive me my rudeness, sir. I'm sorry to have burst into your home like this. It's just, my sons — I was worried and-"

Percy waved away her excuses. "It's fine," he soothed. "I understand; you're good. Right, Annabeth?" He turned to his wife, who, while her arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed, nodded.

For a while, there was silence as everyone stood there awkwardly. The children looked around at each other and then their parents, unsure what to do. Finally Annabeth broke the silence by saying,

"Well, it's getting a bit late, and while I know we need to work through things — discuss and figure out what this a means — maybe we should meet up again tomorrow, when we have fresh minds." Everyone looked around, thinking; some of them, like Nico and Chris, frowned, but no one said anything against that plan.

"All right then," Annabeth said when we nodded, "we'll meet back here — wait, tomorrow's Tuesday. Can we all take off work?" I frowned and thought about it; I probably could, though my boss, Stacy, wouldn't like it. If I pled a family emergency she might take it better.

"Well, Reyna, Hazel, Frank, Nico, and I are staying at Camp, on a report mission, so we would technically be working," Jason said. I cocked my head, intrigued. Camp? Report mission? I suppose those would be explained at our next meeting.

"And you know my work is at home," Chris added. "Clarisse can probably come, if she wants."

"We were going to take off tomorrow anyway," Piper said. Leo nodded.

"I could," Zia and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and smiled. "Our husbands, too — well, Carter maybe not, normally, but we'll get him here," I added.

Annabeth nodded, though she still looked a bit hesitant. "I can take off, too. But should we? Is this something that can't wait for the weekend? It's not like we're stopping a war — like last time." Here she snuck a look at Jason, who pursed his lips. The demigod continued, "So maybe we should just treat this normally."

"But five or six days might be too late," Hazel warned. "What if the gods find out — how will they react to us mingling with people they've tried to keep secret for years?"

"I don't know what yours are like, but you don't need to worry about our gods," I told them. "They're rather a nice lot, most of them, and even if they weren't they're sealed off in the Duat — which we'll get to later," I added at their confused faces.

"How about we just make it tomorrow, since everyone's here now, will be able to come tomorrow, and that way we have more control over who knows what," Percy suggested. After some more thinking, suggesting, and debating, we all finally agreed that tomorrow morning would be best.

The adults said goodbye to each other, and the children did likewise, all of them surprisingly subdued for 1- to 6-year-olds. As Zia and I walked with the boys to the car, I asked her,

"So how in the world did you get here so fast? It's at least 25 minutes from your work to here, and you were here in, like, ten! I don't think there are any good portals into Manhattan, are there?" Zia shrugged, gesturing for me to get in and start the ignition.

"A taxi driver owed me a favor," she said mysteriously. I snorted.

"Must have been a taxi from hell!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," my sister-in-law answered. I rolled my eyes and sighed. We drove in silence for the rest of the way, each of us lost in thought over what we had just discovered.


	6. Dreams and Guests and Gods, Oh My!

Chapter Six — ANNABETH

"Mommy?"

I stirred in my sleep, dismissing the noise at first until I realized my daughter was calling me. Immediately I sat up, turning to see Ally in the doorway of Percy's and my bedroom. Percy was awake as well, though he was still laying down. Ally took a step inside.

"Ally sweetie?" I said. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," she whispered, looking down at the ground as if ashamed. I blinked, then pulled the covers back and patted the spot between Percy and me. Even though I knew it was good for them to stay in their own beds, I just loved the feel of my children in bed with me.

"Well, come here, sweetie," Percy invited. Ally rushed over, obviously waiting for that. She hopped up and snuggled in, then made a face when I pulled the quilt over the three of us.

"It'll be too hot," she complained, but then closed her mouth under my stare.

"So what was the bad dream? Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. Ally pondered the question, then told us,

"There were these two people — a lady and a man. The lady was kind of pretty, her clothes were anyway. Gold and sparkly." She gave a small smile, but then frowned and resumed, "But she looked...hard. Dried up. And so did the man. He was all wrapped up in red, but the the lady snapped her fingers — like this-" here Ally tried to demonstrate, but failed. She eventually gave up when Percy prodded her for the rest.

"So she snapped her fingers and the red wrap came apart. The man was creepy, and really, really skinny." She paused, and I thought that was all she'd say, but she continued then, "They started laughing, but it was scary and hurt my ears. And then — and then they turned, and looked at me, and the man said, 'Ah, she's cute. Wake up, darlin', I don't want to hurt you.' But the lady sounded mean and said, 'Don't let her go, she's important.' And she started reaching for me — and it was really scary, Mommy, so I screamed. And then I woke up."

Ally looked at me, scared but trusting because she was safe with her parents. I unconsciously tightened my grip on my daughter as I wondered what her nightmare could mean. But then again, it could just be a regular old nightmare. I tried comforting myself with that fact, but something about my baby girl's dream disturbed me.

Percy looked at me, then planted a kiss on the top of Ally's dark head. "It's all right, sweetheart. Mommy and Daddy are here. We won't let the lady or the man get you."

"I know," our daughter replied as she snuggled into her father's chest and fell asleep.

We watched her sleep for a few minutes before I whispered to Percy,

"Do you think it means something?" Percy frowned and thought about it.

"It's probably nothing — I mean, she's only five. Regular nightmares are totally normal."

"I was seven when I started dreaming of the...the spiders," I retorted. Even though I'd faced the mother of all spiders, the thought of those creepy little critters still gave me the chills.

"True," he admitted slowly. He frowned and looked down worriedly at Ally. "I really hope it's nothing," he said. "She shouldn't have to deal with something like we did. Neither should Luke or Ethan. We've saved the world already, twice." He looked up at me. "That should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"Yes," I answered mournfully. "But I'm afraid Percy — I'm afraid with what we've just discovered, it might not be."

~~~

I was nervous the next morning, and two cups of coffee right after each other didn't help. Percy seemed better, calmly getting breakfast ready for the kids. Ally was quite happy, giggling with her brothers, last night's dream apparently forgotten. That calmed me down a bit, relieved that she seemed fine.

At around 10:00 Percy dropped the kids off at his mom's; we'd all decided it would be best to discuss divine topics without worrying about interfering toddlers. I didn't know what my friends had done, but by the time they all showed up at 11 they were offspring free.

It was all our fellow demigods from yesterday at first, including Reyna and Clarisse, who of course both had the most questions, satisfying answers to which could not come from their husbands' lips. Unfortunately I didn't have much better information, so I told them to wait until the magicians came.

At 11:30, the guests of honor arrived. Sadie was there with her husband, Walt, who avoided eye contact with me, and Zia, with a nice-looking African-American man I assumed must be her husband. I was confused looking at him, though, because while Sadie had mentioned, and made it seem as if Zia was her sister-in-law through, a brother, this man looked more like Walt's brother than Sadie's. But then I remembered that Percy had a brother who was a Cyclops, and decided to just go with the flow as Sadie introduced him,

"And this my bonehead of a brother, Carter." Her brother, Carter, rolled his eyes, but was pleasant enough as he offered his hand to all of us with a smile.

"Like my crazy sister said, I'm Carter," he said, reintroducing himself. "Former host of Horus god of war and kingship, and combat magician for the House of Life." He shook Percy's hand, and then raised an eyebrow.

"Quite a bit of power you've got there," he commented.

Percy grinned and replied, "So do you."

When Carter got to me, I found Percy was right; there was definitely a strong current of power lying just beneath Carter's skin. It might not have been stronger than Sadie's but it seemed...steadier than hers, for sure.

"You say you've been a former 'host', but what does that even mean?" asked Clarisse, her eyes narrowing. Carter paused and looked as if he was trying to give a reasonable-sounding explanation. Finally he sighed and said,

"Well, basically, it means that a god – in my case, like I said, Horus, god of war – got stuck inside my body. He and I could communicate mentally, his presence enhanced any magic I had, and if we were in sync, we were a near unstoppable force." The man looked over at his sister. "Sound about right?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Sadie affirmed. Clarisse and Reyna looked at each other, still not seeming happy but didn't say anything more.

"How about we get comfortable in the dining room?" I suggested, as we were all just standing in Percy's and my foyer. "I have water and crackers out, if you want any."

"Sounds good to me," Leo exclaimed, happily turning towards said room. Piper rolled her eyes at her husband but followed after him, and was in turn followed by Jason and Reyna, and soon only Hazel, Nico, Sadie, Walt and I were left in the foyer. Sadie cleared her throat and looked at her husband pointedly, who cleared his own throat, then faced me.

"Um, Annabeth?" he said.

"Yes?" I replied, a little wary despite myself. The man hesitated, then said in an apologetic voice,

"I'm very sorry for the way I acted the other day with you. It was rude of me, and I hope you won't hold it against me, or especially Sadie." I smiled in relief. So he could be polite, at least, and even if it was mostly on the insistence of his wife, his apology sounded entirely sincere.

"Of course I don't," I answered gently. "But thank-you. Shall we go see the others?"

"Wait." I turned, surprised, to Nico, who was scrutinizing Walt intently. Walt frowned and shifted uncomfortably, and Sadie and Hazel looked perplexed as well.

"What, Nico?" I asked. The Ghost King raised an arm and pointed accusingly at Walt.

"You, Walt Stone, should be dead," he intoned dramatically. I reeled back and Hazel's and Sadie's mouths dropped open; Walt also looked shocked, his eyes widening. Hazel recovered first and hissed at her brother,

"Nico, what are you-"

"And I could say the same of your sister, son of Hades." I turned my head to Walt, because that's where the words had come from, but it had not been Walt's voice. This voice was deeper, older, and sent a shiver down my spine. It continued, issuing from Walt's mouth, "And also yourself, if we're being picky."

"What are you?" Nico growled, reaching for his sword. Hazel and I tensed up beside him.

"Not your enemy!" Sadie exclaimed, stepping in front of her husband protectively. "I promise, whatever bad, evil thing you thing is going on here, it's not. We mean you no harm. We were just talking about gods and hosts, right? Remember that. That's all this is."

"You mean Walt's a host? And a...god...is speaking for him now?" I questioned.

"Yeah, pretty much. Well, his situation is a bit more complicated — I mean, you know what? How about we go into your lovely dining room and explain it all?" Sadie suggested, almost desperately. I frowned, not sure, but everybody else was there already, and only sounds of pleasant conversation, not betrayal and battling, drifted out into the hallway.

"Alright," I relented. "And then you'll tell us everything."

~~~

Everything was confusing.

Apparently Sadie's husband wasn't just Walt; Anubis, god of death and mummification, shared Walt's body in order to keep him alive, and have a physical form in the world so they could _both_ be with Sadie. Carter and Sadie's father, Julius Kane (who was one of my favorite Egyptologist authors) had a similar deal with Osiris, king of the gods and ruler of the Underworld (mustn't let Hades get any ideas), except they were both dead.

"So, you've got, like, a bigamist thing going on here?" Leo (of course it was Leo) asked after Sadie had finished her story. The blond magician glared at him, though she seemed embarrassed, and refused to answer.

"To more important matters," Reyna put forth quietly yet forcefully, "what are the repercussions of our meeting each other? Should we alert our gods? What will yours say?"

"They won't say much," Zia answered from her place across from the praetor. "Our gods are order to the side of chaos, the powers of creation against the powers of destruction. When chaos and destruction – or Apep — is gone from our world, so too, are our gods."

"Apep?" Jason asked, confused.

"Another name for a giant chaos snake that we helped defeat many years ago," Zia answered. "We did not call him so, but I wish not to say his actual name, because –"

"-names have power," Percy finished, nodding. We could all understand that. Sadie jumped in to continue the explanation,

"So we beat the baddie back into the Duat — the realm of the gods, I guess you could say, invisible and adjacent to our world — but because the gods are connected to him like two sides of a coin, they had to leave our world, too." Sadie looked rather heartbroken when she said that, and I wondered how close she was to her gods.

"So that means we don't have to worry about them?" Reyna asked, wanting confirmation. It was Walt – no, Anubis, – who answered her,

"I assure you, none of my kind will care that you have found our magicians, at least not if you mean no harm. And even if they did, they are in no position to do so. _Your_ gods however – especially the Roman sides – might not be so happy. The last time we met, it was not on pleasant terms." The god-man scowled and I had to bite back a retort. Sadie whispered something in his ear, and he got rid of the scowl, though he couldn't quite erase the glare he was shooting at Reyna. She shot one right back.

"I can't imagine why," the Roman replied icily. The god's eye twitched, and I thought he was trying to contain his anger — oh, Reyna, did you _have_ to make another immortal enemy for us? — but then he shook his head violently and then gasped. Sadie looked concerned and said something else to him. He waved her off and looked Reyna, and when he spoke it was Walt's voice that came through.

"I'm sorry about that; Romans and Egyptians don't really have the best relationship. The last time Anubis dealt with them, they were burning the Library of Alexandria and then destroying temples as they turned Egypt into another province."

"Hmph. Well, as long he knows we don't intend to do any conquering unless he forces us into it, we're fine," Reyna replied. Walt nodded.

"He understands," he said.

"So, that's the Egyptian end," Carter said, taking ahold of the conversation. "What about you guys? Any angry deities that might blast us to pieces for breaking such a long silence?"

We demigods looked at each other, each muttering to the closest comrade. Finally I looked at them and answered, "I don't think so. Lord Zeus might not be so happy that his secret was found out, but I'm sure my mother will convince him aggressiveness is not needed, especially since your gods aren't around."

"My dad and most of the other Olympians should be pretty cool about it," Percy added.

"And if that's true, then their Roman sides should follow suit, pretty much," Jason said, putting his own two cents in. Carter and his wife looked at each other, as did Sadie and her husband(s?), and then the siblings shared a look. Finally Carter nodded, apparently deciding something.

"Then we shouldn't have to worry about anything. We finished with the apocalypse a while ago — if you were in Brooklyn about 12 years ago and they kept mentioning sewer leaks, that was us, by the way — and unless you guys have some weird threat coming up, we should be able to just coexist peacefully, right?"

"Oh, please, no more weird threats," Piper moaned. "We've had our shares of battles and war, too, thanks. We don't want any more."

"Hey, just be glad you weren't around when Kronos was," Clarisse told the daughter of Aphrodite. "Then you'd have the right the complain!"

As the mood gradually lightened and conversation turned to more casual, albeit strange, topics ("How many monsters have you killed?" "What's it like having a mind Siamese twin in your head?" "Do you think a pegasus could beat my griffin?"), I felt myself grow calmer. I wasn't completely at peace, because we still didn't know what to tell our gods or even if we should, and I was still a little perturbed by Ally's dream, but eventually I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. I could deal with them when the time came; now, though, I just wanted to spend some time with my friends, old and new.


	7. I Meet Some Old Friends

Chapter Seven — SADIE

"Well, so today was fun. Don't you think?" I asked this question as I came out of the bathroom which adjoined Walt's and my bedroom. My husband was in bed already, bedside lamp on though he wasn't reading or watching the telly or anything. He nodded as he watched me come in.

"Yes. Though I have to admit, I felt like Zia and one of the other women there — Reyna, I think, the Roman? — were going to start a fight, what with all looks and uncomfortable shifting they did around each other."

"Yeah, well, they both recognized the other was a battle-hardened, natural leader. Alpha females, sizing each other up," I answered, sliding in beside him. "And all the while, their husbands just got along _smashingly_." Walt chuckled.

"Yeah, thank the gods they weren't too concerned with power plays." I laughed and then gave him a kiss.

"Do you think their gods will cause problems for us?" I asked, still a little concerned. Carter and I had told Amos we thought things would be all right, but I still wasn't entirely sure, considering the demigods hadn't talked to their divine parents yet.

"I think we should wait to see how it goes," Walt answered. "If there's a problem, then I'm sure Annabeth and Percy would tell us. Okay?"

"Alright," I said, only somewhat appeased. Walt smiled at me and brushed a hand over my face. We talked a little bit more, mostly about the two camps the demigods had told us about, but finally my husband turned off the light and we both settled in for the night.

I was all ready for a quiet night's sleep, but it seemed my _ba_ had other ideas.

My spirit floated above my body, which was still a weird experience even after all this time. At least I never had a chicken body; most times I controlled what I wore, but I didn't feel like it now so it seemed like I was just wearing my knee-length green nightgown. I sighed and let myself be tugged by the insistent wind that accompanied a ba trip, no doubt to show me something important. I glanced wishfully at my bed and Walt, but with all this demigod stuff, I should probably pay attention.

I was taken to a cave, where it was so dark I could hardly see. There were scuffling sounds, as if someone was walking, and then I heard someone say, "Well, not a bad place, doll, but I think it needs a bit more lighting."

Another voice answered, but I was reeling from the first person. I knew that voice; it belonged to Setne! What was he up to, and why had I been brought here? Fear gripped me as I thought about Jules and Kander and how how little they were; why weren't we done with dangerous threats by now?

Suddenly a light flashed in my face, like a camera, and I had to blink a couple times to be able to see. In this new brightness, I was able to confirm Uncle Vinny's presence in my dream, with an evilly clever glint in his eye and looking as sickly as ever, though, alarmingly, without the Ribbons of Hathor wrapped around him. Pacing the cave floor across from him was a woman wrapped in a gold shaw, but due to her pacing I couldn't get a good look at any of her features.

"It is not good that our plans be seen," the woman muttered, her voice raspy and ancient. Setne waved his hand, as if dismissing her words.

"Come on now," he said, "one little munchkin knowing about us ain't gonna ruin anything." His companion — co-conspirator, more likely — glared at him.

"You do not know where, or rather whom, that 'munchkin' comes from," she hissed, tone icy. "But she's not even the one I mean. I'm talking about the one who's watching us right now!" Realizing she could someone sense me, I attempted to draw back in myself as Setne looked around wildly, wishing my _ba_ would go back to my body.

"Dang, girl," Setne exclaims, obviously not finding me, "what is it you do? How do you know there's someone here? I could sense the girl, but no one's here."

"You sensed the girl because she is young and inexperienced," the woman replied. I guess she was actually a ghost, too, unless she was a rogue magician who had summoned Setne to herself. "But this one is not. I can feel her because of my domain, and her 'ba' as you call it is akin to a dead spirit." Setne nodded sagely as I cocked my head in confusion, wondering who this strange woman was.

"Ah, I gotcha," the ghost responded. "Well, then, why don't you tell her to go away?" A cruel smile played at his lips "It's rude to eavesdrop, after all."

An answering smile appeared on the woman's face. "Yes, it is, indeed." Then she turned to me, and I finally saw her face. I cringed away from the black, pupil-less pits that served as her eyes. One half of her face was black and dried up, as if mummified, and the other was deathly pale, like a corpse or someone who'd been attacked by a vampire. She grinned at me — because I had no doubt she actually _saw_ me — and the teeth in the top row of her mouth were all rotted.

"Run along now, little magician," she sneered at me. "If you don't, you may find yourself among your father's subjects sooner than you'd like!" Then she blew on me. Her breath was revolting, like rotten eggs set on fire; I gagged and wished desperately I could control my dreams and _why couldn't I stop this and just wake up –_

I awoke with a gasp, bolting upright and breathing heavy. It took awhile for my heart to stop trying to escape my chest, and when it finally did I realized it was daytime. Bright July sunlight streamed in through my window, as well as the sound of birds chirping. My eyes adjusted to the brightness in my room, and I noticed Walt wasn't besides me; had he gone to work? He and Alyssa co-owned a jewelry and pottery store not too far from our house. Though we didn't have to worry about money much, as our combined salaries were more than enough for our necessities and the rent we owed Amos (which Carter, Zia, Walt and I insisted we pay him and he reluctantly accepted), Walt enjoyed his job and also thought it was important for him to go to the shop every day, especially since they only had three other employees, one being a seventeen-year-old Shelby who was trying to save up for a car.

I looked at the clock on my bedside table and nearly had another heart attack. It was 10:30, and I should have been at work hours ago. My boss was gonna kill me! I jumped out of bed and quickly got myself ready, pulling on a blue blouse with white flowers on it, and a pair of black slacks with purple wedge heels to match. I raced down the stairs, grabbing my purse from one of the landings and wishing fervently I had time for some breakfast.

Stepping off the last step I nearly ran into my uncle. Stopping just in time to avoid a collision, I looked at his bewildered expression and offered a small smile.

"Hi, Uncle Amos," I said breathlessly. "Sorry for the near-crash, but I'm in a rush, and actually how come you never woke me up this morning? I can't _believe_ I slept that long. Is everyone at work? You watching the kids or is that Khufu's job?"

Amos' bewildered expression stayed on his face, but eventually he got over his shock enough to answer my questions. "Well, hello Sadie. We tried to wake you, especially since you seemed unnerved in your sleep, but none of us could so your brother eventually suggested we leave you be, and I promised Walt I would check in on you often. Yes, they have all gone to work, and babysitting the boys is a combined effort."

I nodded, taking in all the information. I wasn't too surprised I was 'unnerved' while sleeping, because of my _ba_ -trip but I was amazed it had lasted all through the night and into the morning. I should probably mention my vision, especially because the woman had seen me, but I did have work, and it would probably be better if I told everyone at once. So I nodded, acknowledging my uncle's explanation, and said,

"Okay. Well, I'm all right, but thanks for checking on me. But I really have to go, so see you later, love you, bye!" I brushed past Amos and sped out of the house, ignoring his call to stop and let him check me, and got in my car. Hoping my boss would be in such a pleasant mood she wouldn't mind my huge length of tardiness, I drove toward my work.

~~~

When I arrived, Stacy, my boss, was in a decidedly unpleasant mood, much to my dismay. When I reached my floor and tried to slide in to my desk, she caught me and stomped up to me with a look of fury on her face.

"SADIE!" she bellowed, making me cringe. A stout woman with long dark hair, brown eyes, and a mole on her left cheek, Stacy wasn't a wildly attractive woman or what one pictured when one thought of a fashion designer, but she had a hawk's eye for the latest trends and was – usually, and when not dealing with her employees – a people person. But when she got angry it was like a volcano erupting. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? YOU'RE THREE HOURS LATE AND WITH NO CALL!"

I winced. I hadn't even thought about calling, being too busy to get to work. No one in my house had thought to phone me in sick, not even Walt, or Carter, who was a stickler for that stuff. I dropped my head and tried to appear as apologetic as I could.

"I'm _really_ sorry, Stacy," I said, daring to peek up at her. Her face was a normal color, so that was good. "It's just, I felt really unwell this morning and couldn't get out of bed; I thought my husband might have –"

"You _know_ I hate excuses," Stacy snapped, interrupting me. At least her volume had gone down. A few of my co-workers couldn't keep their eyes off us, though quickly went back to their own work when Stacy glared at them. She turned back to me. " _And_ you took off yesterday; you've had _two_ days free. I hadn't taken you for a lazy bum, Kane, but maybe I was wrong. Was I? _Was_ I wrong about you, Kane?"

"No, ma'am," I said through gritted teeth, slapping on the term of respect in the hopes it might calm her down. She narrowed her eyes at me, but seemed satisfied with my tone. Then all of a sudden she sighed, and slumped her shoulders.

"It's just I can't have slackers in my employ," she explained in an almost forlorn voice. She could get like this sometimes, do a complete 360 in attitude. "Especially now, with everything going on at once, with the motivational _speaker_ , and the model visiting –"

"Wait, what? Speaker? Model?" I repeated dumbly, making her nod.

"Yes. The Mclean Motivator; she was brought in by the higher-ups, because _apparently_ , they think my people need more incentive." She narrowed her eyes again, obviously peeved. "I guess not losing their jobs isn't enough." Then all of a sudden she perked up. "And even though I'm complaining, I'm actually really excited for the model. She's been around for a while, but she's finally making a name for herself. Drew Tanaka; have you heard of her?"

My eyes widened at _both_ names. Mclean, like Piper Mclean, whom I just met the other day? And _Drew Tanaka,_ my old classmate from BAG? They were both here, now? "Wh-when do they – get here?" I stuttered, still shocked.

Stacy looked at her watch. "Well, the motivator, Pepper, Patty - something with a P – should be here at 11:30, and Ms. Tanaka should be coming around 12:30," she answered. "But _you_ , Miss Tardypants, are _not_ leaving this desk until you have all your morning and yesterday's work done! You understand?"

I sighed, figuring that would be the case.

"Understood."

~~~

Though I didn't get to go to Piper's session – because it was Piper, I checked – I still managed to run into her, and Drew, when I went on a bathroom/late lunch break. It was around 1:15, and I found them both talking in the ladies' room, with no one else apparently in sight. Amused smile on my face, I walked up to them. "Well, I never expected to see either of _you_ here," I said.

Both women jumped at my voice and stared at me. Drew, who, to my minuscule envy, looked even more beautiful than when she was younger, definitely befitting a model, looked confused as she looked me up and down, trying to place me. Piper, of course, recognized me immediately and gave a laugh before hugging me.

"Wow, you said you worked here but I never put two and two together," she exclaimed. Drew still looked confused, and now irritated.

"Who are you?" she asked me, rather bluntly. "And Piper, how do you know her?"

"It's me, Drew," I said. "Sadie Kane. From BAG? We went to middle school together?" Her brown eyes, which always seemed cold despite their warm color, widened as understanding dawned on her.

"You – _Sadie Kane_ , really? Well, darlin', I _never_ expected to see _you_ again," she said, a note of genuine incredulity in her voice.

"Likewise," I replied.

Drew glanced over at Piper. "So, how do you Piper here?" I looked over at Piper, too, wondering what I should say, and also how _Drew_ knew Piper.

The woman in question answered, "I know her as a friend of Annabeth's. We had our kids over at her house a couple days ago."

"Ah." Drew's eyes roamed over me, perhaps judging how I'd aged. Her lip didn't curl and she didn't seem disgusted, which I took as a good sign, not that I needed _her_ approval.

"And how do you know Piper?" I asked, curious. Again, Piper answered,

"She's my sister." Drew's snapped to the side as she stared at Piper in shock before glaring at her furiously. I, too, stared at her, startled. Drew and Piper, sisters? I found that doubtful, though Carter and I hardly looked alike, and just because I never heard Drew mention a sister or saw Piper around BAG didn't mean anything.

"Oh," I said, just as Drew hissed, "Piper." Piper seemed unfazed by her sister's hostility, though it surprised me.

"It's alright, Drew," Piper said, an almost nonchalant note in her voice. "She knows what I am." That only made Drew slightly more relaxed, while I cocked my head, still confused. Then, it came to me.

"You mean, she...she's a demigod, too?" I asked Piper, pointing at Drew. The model glanced at me sharply as Piper nodded.

"Yup," she replied, popping the P. "Daughter of Aphrodite, like me."

"Wait, wait, wait," Drew butted in. "Is she...? _Sadie_ , **she's** a demigod?"

"No," I said, deciding to trust her if Piper did. "No, I'm not, but more like you than you might think." I turned to Piper as Drew tried to process that, all of a sudden feeling like I needed to tell her about my _ba_ -trip. "And, what I'm going to say may seem odd –"

"Odd? Do you _know_ us?" Piper interrupted with a smile.

"Okay, but, still, I need to tell you." I took a deep breath and began, "Last night, I had a...dream, you could say, or a vision." Both Piper and Drew gave me their full attention, which I found both good and bad. "And in my dream, I saw two people. One was an old enemy of ours, someone who's managed to slip through our fingers for a long time, and it's not good if I'm seeing him."

"I know what you mean," Piper said sympathetically.

"And the other was a woman – or, I think she was," I continued. "She might have been a ghost, which is what my enemy, Setne, is. But she, she saw me, in the dream, and she was half white and half black, as in on either side. She had black, pupil-less eyes, and she talked about her and Setne having a plan, which is also not good. And I'm not really sure why I'll telling you this, when I haven't tell anyone else, but I think it's important you know."

The daughters of Aphrodite stared at me, Piper biting her lip in concern and Drew scrunching her eyebrows in confusion and irritation. Finally Piper sighed, and said, "Well, I don't recognize that description, but I'll ask around. Dreams are important to us, too, so we understand how unnerving that is. But, hey," and here she attempted a smile, "you've got us now. We'll be more than happy to help."

I returned the smile in earnest, unbelievably touched and relieved at her words. "Thank-you," I said softly. Then I looked at my watch, and cursed; Stacy really was going to kill me if I wasn't back at my desk. Piper saw and waved towards the door.

"Go," she said. "Go do your job."

"No, wait, not yet," Drew protested. "I still don't what you are! I don't know anything about –"

"I'll fill you in," Piper cut her off. Drew glared at her sister as I moved towards the door.

"Well, you'd _better_ ," she snarled. "I don't need another war or supernatural godly _threat_ , sweetheart. I have a daughter now, you know that? I have to be _prepared_ , so I can protect my Charlie, you understand?"

"Yes, Drew," Piper answered, in a gentler tone than I would have been capable of. "I'm a mother, too, you know; I know exactly how you feel."

A small lump formed in my throat hearing that as I walked out the door, Piper beginning to tell Drew about what I was the last thing I heard before going back to my desk.


	8. Oh, Fleecy

Chapter Eight — ANNABETH

"You ready?" Percy asked me, standing in our sun-filled living room, a spray bottle filled with water in his hand. I nodded, stepping closer to him. The kids were, once again, with their grandmother while Percy and I contacted my mother, finally ready to tell her about our new Egyptian friends. I shook my head, thinking how odd it was for me to take three days off in a row. But I had a few sick days saved up anyway, and maybe taking three of those ones after the other might convince my boss I really was ill.

I gestured to my husband, and he sprayed some of the water into the sunlight. A small rainbow formed, and I tossed in the drachma I held in my hand. "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. I need to see Athena, goddess of wisdom, on Mt. Olympus," I intoned. The drachma went in and the rainbow widened into a screen, but nothing happened. I frowned, and was about to repeat my request when the drachma flew back out and landed on the floor with a clatter Percy and I looked at each other in surprise, unsure of what to do, until a light went off in his eyes.

"Here, I'll try," he said, and picked up the coin from the floor. Tossing it into the rainbow as I had done, he said in an oddly half solemn, half laid back tone, "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid! Show Lady Athena on Mt. Olympus!" I raised my eyebrow at him, but then the rainbow started to swirl, and next thing I knew, I was looking at my mother, who was in her rooms, staring intently at something on the table in the middle of her room; it looked like a battle strategy. Perhaps she was planning something with Ares, as she sometimes did to let out her rare aggressions.

"Mother!" I greeted. She turned and narrowed her eyes, obviously displeased at being interrupted, but when she saw it was me she offered a small smile, a twinkle in her gray eyes.

"Hello, my daughter," she said. Then she looked at Percy. "And you, too, I suppose." My husband offered a pained smile while I sighed; my mother still never totally approved of my marriage to Percy. "To what do I owe this call?" the goddess asked.

Percy and I looked at each other. I bit my lip, unsure how to word this. He nodded in encouragement, apparently deciding I should be the one to take the lead. Accepting it, I turned to my mother and began, "Well, you see, Mom, Percy and I have learned some...important new info, and we needed to tell you. That's why we've called."

Athena cocked her head. "You've learned some important information?" she repeated. "And you needed to tell me together?" Then a light seemed to go off in her eyes, and she said, "Are you pregnant again?"

The words hit me like a blow. Beside me, Percy tensed up as I clenched my jaw and placed a hand on my empty stomach. Our loss was too new to be hearing things like that. Not that my mother meant to be cruel; she hadn't known I was pregnant, since I had wanted to wait until halfway into the second trimester, in case what had happened happened. A few people had know, because Sally had noticed me throwing up a lot when we went to visit her one time, and then some of our friends knew because either I or Percy accidentally let a few things slip. But my mom hadn't been told, and no point in telling her now, so I responded, "No, Mother. We – we're not...I'm not pregnant. That's not it."

The goddess nodded, seeming to file it away as if it were a trivia fact. "Then what's the news?" A tone that was the cross between wariness and concern entered her voice. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, not really," I replied, tapping my fingers against my thigh. "Not _wrong_ , per se, but it _does_ involve all the gods, and I went to you first because I thought your cool-headedness would be good for when we have to tell Lord Zeus, and – "

"We know the Egyptian gods exist," Percy interrupted, apparently displeased with the pace at which I was going. I shot a glare his way, and he just shrugged. My mother, whose eyebrow had been rising with each word I spoke, narrowed her eyes at my husband, face extremely serious. I shivered, instinctively fearful of the dangerous, goddess-of-war aura my mother was exuding, even through the Iris-Message.

"How do you know that?" the goddess demanded, tone authoritative. Percy, not intimidated in the slightest, responded,

"Well, we met this woman on Saturday, Sadie Kane and –"

"Kane?" Athena interrupted. She sounded slightly distressed.

"Yes," Percy answered, sounding surprised by her tone.

"Does that matter? Does it mean something?" I asked, curious as to what Sadie's last name meant to my mother. She shook her head.

"No," my mother answered, a bit too quickly for her reply to be truth. "It doesn't matter, and it means nothing. Continue."

Percy obliged,

"Well, so we met her, and we shook hands, and she had this weird...power pulse. It felt weird, strange and different. And then Annabeth saw her for coffee the next day and met her husband, who had the same odd aura but a whole lot stronger. Then, we had some friends over the day after that, Monday, and Annabeth was asking Nico things about Sadie's husband. Sadie had been wearing some Egyptian charms, so Annabeth said it probably related to Egypt. And then Nico told us about the Egyptian gods and hosts."

"Nico? Hades' child?" My mother did not sound pleased with our information at all. "That boy needs to learn to not speak of the secrets of the dead."

"Well, he's not really a boy anymore," I said, not being able to help myself. "And it's not his fault; I made him tell me. He hadn't sworn on the Styx, so I knew he would be all right."

The goddess was not impressed with my explanation. "Hmph. He still needs to be quiet." She herself was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Well, so you know what this Sadie is. Does she know what _you_ are? I sincerely hope not."

Percy and I glanced at each other. Whoops. "Well, um, yes, about that," I began, wincing at the way I stumbled over my words. "She... _does_ know what we are. They all do. I mean, she and her husband and her brother and her sister-in-law. We met the rest of them yesterday."

A tic appeared above my mother's eye. _"How?"_ she demanded through clenched teeth.

"Well, actually, I don't know," I admitted. "We – well, we didn't tell her, I promise. But we had everybody's kids over, and she came, with her two nephews. And well, one of the kids, Leo and Piper's son Aidan, who is a grandson of Hephaestus, was showing off his fire powers, and one of Sadie's nephews – their mother, apparently, is a fire mage – showed off _his_ fire powers, and Sadie was afraid her nephew had hurt Aiden, so we had to explain we knew what she was. And then she told _us_ she knew that we were demigods."

My mother let out a long sigh. "This is a troubling matter," she said after a period of silence. Her gray eyes flickered back and forth between the two of us. "Just as with the Romans" her lips curled into a sneer "we have not had a good relationship with the Egyptians since the the fall of their kingdom to Octavian Augustus. They resented us for that, and then, their magicians, who in turn resented their _gods_ for Egypt's fall, sought to rid the world of all godly presence, and would often, if they found any, try to exorcise demigods of their divine nature, and killed many of them. You can imagine how...very... _displeased_ we were by that." My mother's eye lit up in rage, and I, who now had children I loved more than life, and had just lost one before I got the chance to know it, felt the sorrow of my mother and the other gods' at the magicians' cruelty.

"But that...that was so long ago," Percy said slowly. Athena looked him.

"Yes, but, like I said, they resented us," she said, continuing her explanation. "We despised their magicians for the way our children were treated, and waged war many times – first for the killings, then because some desperate magicians broke their own rules and attempted to host their gods in our children's bodies – Nephthys in Poseidon's children; Horus in Ares' and Zeus'; Osiris in Hades'. Again, our children died, and our fury destroyed most of the House of Life and forced the rest into hiding." My mother took a breath and stared intently into my husband's eyes.

"We do not forget such anger lightly," she told him seriously, "and they remembered well enough for humans the pain and despair we and our heroes brought them. Those feelings, spread across so many centuries, does not just go _away_. In fact, the most recent war between our sides happened in your very country, during its lifetime, 1812 to 1814. Some demigods had discovered magician presences, and knowing of the gods' animosity towards them, started conflict. The magicians, knowing also of their own anger at the Greeks, readily participated and it grew into a war caused the deaths of over 15,000 people."

"Oh." Percy looked a little sick, and I wasn't feeling too peachy either. But still, he argued, "But Sadie and her family didn't seem like they resented us. In fact, from what they told us, they seemed to have been the cause of a complete turn-around in the House of Life a while ago. They used to be godlings, hosts, and taught the House they should cooperate with their gods – who," he added quickly, "are no danger to us because they're all residing in the Tu - _Duat_ with the chaos snake. So if Sadie and Carter managed to change the House's mind about their own gods, maybe they have, or could, do the same about ours?"

"The Kanes are also pretty well connected," I chimed in, hoping desperately to get my mother on our side. "Their uncle is Chief Lector, sort of like the VP of -"

"I know what the position of Chief Lector of the House of Life is," my mother interrupted cooly, though she did gesture for me to continue.

"-and Carter is actually...well, I'm not sure what he is _exactly_ , but he's also another leader, and his wife, sister, and brother-in-law are his advisors and highly respected by most of the House," I finished. "So they would have plenty of sway in changing attitudes towards a more peaceful direction."

"So, let us give them a chance?" Percy suggested. "I mean, tell the other gods, that's why we called you. We wanted to make sure us meeting them hadn't caused or wouldn't cause a cataclysmic event which we couldn't survive, and that you – the gods – wouldn't vaporize them or something."

My mom and I both looked at him oddly for his choice of words. He didn't seemed concerned, just waited patiently for my mom's answer.

Finally my mother sighed. "I must tell the other gods," she said firmly. "But...you were right to tell me first, Annabeth; I have much sway over my father and I should be able to turn him away from any anger, should he head for it. He lost many sons to the magicians."

I smiled widely. "Thank-you, Mother! Thank-you very much. We'll make sure history doesn't repeat itself."

My mom smiled. "It's possible you may be summoned to Olympus after I speak with them, you and Percy and all your friends who were present, for another explanation, but I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."

"Thank-you again...Mom," I said. My mom's smile softened even more, and she gave a nod.

"Yes. I must go now," she responded. Then she waved her hand through the Iris-Message, and our connection was gone. When it had evaporated completely, Percy turned to me.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"We make some phone calls," I replied, "and we tell some people some very good news."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Saturday: Sadie and Annabeth meet each other at hospital; Percy and Annabeth talk about Sadie's aura
> 
> *Sunday: Annabeth and Sadie meet for coffee; Annabeth meets Walt; Anubis explains Greek/Roman gods to Sadie
> 
> *Monday: Annabeth and Percy's friends + kids come over; Sadie arrives with her nephews and each side discovers what the other knows
> 
> *Tuesday: Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans meet at Jackson-Chase house and discuss each other's gods, lives, and practices; Sadie begins her ba trip
> 
> *Wednesday: Sadie emerges from ba trip; sees Piper and Drew at work and tells them about dream; Percy and Annabeth contact Athena.


	9. We Do Some Research

Chapter Nine — SADIE

"So, what you're telling us," Carter said as he paced along the outside deck, "is that _Setne_ is back, and he's _collaborating_ with some unknown being, possibly a ghost or some _Greek_ monster, and the demigods you saw _at your work_ today were _concerned_ about it?"

"That pretty much sums it all up, yeah," I replied from my seat at the table. Walt was next to me, Uncle Amos catty-cornered to me at the head of the table, and Zia on the opposite side to me, watching her husband with worried eyes.

"You know, wearing a hole into the deck isn't going to solve our problems," I noted as he turned around for the sixtieth time (not that I had been counting). "In fact, If you fall through, and land in the pool and Philip accidentally mistakes you for lunch, we're going to have an even bigger problem."

Though Carter glared at me, Zia seemed to share my sentiments. "She's right, Carter," my sister-in-law said. "All this worrying isn't helpful, or healthy."

"It's my job to worry," he countered, going around for the sixty-second time.

"Yes, well, you can do that job just fine from in this chair rather than over and over again on that strip of floor," his wife replied. Carter sighed, but finally obliged us and took a seat next to Zia and across from Walt.

"Technically, we don't really know if there _is_ anything to worry about," Walt pointed out. I liked how he tried to be optimistic, but I disagreed, as Carter obviously did, and Zia and Amos didn't seem too convinced of my husband's side either.

"Sadie saw _Setne_ in her dreams, Walt," Carter responded, stressing our great-uncle's name as much as he could. "He's _never_ up to anything that we shouldn't worry about, especially since he's been quiet all these years, and now, this!"

"I just think you're overreacting," my husband argued. My brother stared at him, almost challengingly for a moment, before heaving a deep sigh.

"I know," he said, a near-miserable tone in his voice. "I know I probably am. It's just, like I said, he's quiet, and as soon as we discover a whole other pantheon, he's sneaking around with something that might _be_ from that pantheon? And, you know I hated to bring in young kids like Shelby last time, but now I have my _own_ kids to think about, as well as all the _other_ kids of magicians...it's a lot. I want to be prepared, and better to be over rather than under, right?"

I glanced behind me to see the boys watching as Khufu and a few of his baboon friends played basketball. They waved their little arms and cheered, and I knew exactly what Carter meant. It's not like we didn't care about Julian and Felix and Shelby, the kids we had become like older siblings to, but now we were officially in the parent role, and that meant our protective feelings were so much more intense.

"Yes," Zia agreed, a soothing note in her voice. "That's true. But let's get all the facts before we go completely crazy with the over, alright?" Carter glanced at her, then nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said. He shook his head to clear it. "So what _are_ the facts in this?"

"I would put my money on it being a Greek monster," Amos said, putting in his two cents for the first time since our discussion. "I don't believe there is an Egyptian goddess or other being matching Sadie's description – though, of course, a goddess may look however she pleases."

"Yeah, but I can't imagine why any one of them would _want_ to look like such a hag," I responded, shivering as I remembered the woman's pupiless eyes and her ghastly half and half appearance.

"Well, at least we have some new friends who can help us deal with Greek monsters," Walt said. "And speaking of that, I came home for lunch real quick today, and there was a message on the answering machine, from Annabeth. She said she and Percy talked to her mother, the goddess Athena, and it seems like she'll vouch for our friendliness. So, hopefully, the rest of the Greco-Roman gods _won't_ smite us." I sighed in relief while Carter groaned at Walt's word choice and Zia offered a small smile.

"Well, that is good news," she said. "Now all we need is for them to get back to us on what the woman might be." She paused for a moment. "Have we picked up any traces of Setne's magic or other indicators of his presence anywhere?" Carter and Amos shook their heads in unison.

"I haven't gotten any letters or calls indicating that," Carter said. He frowned. "I guess he's lying low still, like he's been all this time. I wonder why he's chosen now to plan something...?"

"Maybe we're not the only ones who've recently discovered other pantheons," I suggested. "I mean, if this creature is Greek, or Roman, then maybe Setne just found her like we just found the demigods and that's why he's planning now."

"That does make sense," my husband said, tapping his chin in thought. "So I guess everything just boils down to whether the woman is Greek, and what sort of Greek thing she is."

"And what she might want in teaming up with Setne," Amos added.

"So we just have to wait for Piper to get back to us?" Carter asked.

"Or we could do research ourselves," I replied. "I mean, Greek mythology should be all over the Internet."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Zia said. She rose from the table and I followed suit. "Sadie and I will do some research," she declared, "and you three...well, Amos, you should make some calls to make sure Setne hasn't shown up anywhere; Carter, you look into setting up some protocol in case he does, like checking into the Nomes or something. And maybe ask Cleo to look through the First Nome archives to find something; and Walt...well, talk with Anubis and see if he knows anything. Alright?"

Carter grinned widely at his wife. "Aye, aye, ma'am," he replied cheerfully. She rolled her eyes but smiled at him, then I took her by the hand and dragged her over to our computer.

~~~

Our entering 'Greek mythology + half white half black' didn't help, mostly just giving us different renderings of Theseus and the Minotaur, and descriptions of satyrs and centaurs. I bit my lip and looked at Zia.

"Well, you said it was a woman," she said, staring at the screen. "So add that." I obliged and something new came up, a Wikipedia article about a goddess named Melinoe. I clicked on it and my sister-in-law and I read it together.

"Well," I said after we had finished, "this sounds the most promising." The article had described this Melinoe as the daughter of Persephone and – sickeningly enough – her own father, Zeus, when he disguised himself as his daughter's husband, his own brother, Hades (and I thought the Egyptian family tree was twisted). Melinoe was half white and half black, a goddess that dwelled in the Underworld and caused night terrors and insanity in mortals. Well, she _had_ been terrifying.

"Then let's tell the boys," Zia replied. Just then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and looked at it; a new text message sat in my inbox, from Piper. At our meeting on Tuesday we had all exchanged cell numbers.

_Found out what your monster is. Not good. Also, other things we need to talk about; meet us tom at 9 in front of Empire State Building._

I raised an eyebrow, then showed it to Zia. "Looks like we gotta tell them about this, too," I said. She nodded.

The Empire State Building...I wonder what that had to do with anything...?


	10. Aura of Authority

Chapter Ten — ANNABETH

"You know, it's almost a shame it's summer, and that Ethan and Luke aren't school age yet," Percy commented as we pulled into a parking spot near the Empire State Building after dropping the kids off, once again, at his mother's place.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I replied. "I swear they're gonna think we're moving them in there." My husband laughed.

"Ah, man, I know Mom loves them, but I doubt she'd want three more Poseidon kids running around her house," he said. He shut the car off and we got out; we'd parked a little bit away from the front due to all the regular city congestion so we would have to walk a little.

"Well, hey, they're my kids, too," I protested as we walked. "That means they're three Athena kids, too, Seaweed Brain." Percy smiled.

"Well, I'll grant you that," he conceded, "but you _know_ Ally takes more after me." I scowled, knowing he was right. He laughed again at my silence.

Then we rounded the corner and there was the entrance to Mt. Olympus. We both smiled and walked in; in the lobby, waiting for everyone else to come, was the rest of our friends, sans the Egyptians.

Percy noticed, too. "Well, looks like everyone's here," he observed, "except the ones they actually want to see."

I looked at my watch. "Well, we said nine," I told him. "They have five minutes to spare."

"Hey guys," Piper greeted, getting up from her chair next to Leo. Percy and I returned her greeting. The Cherokee demigod twirled a strand of hair around her finger, then looked behind us at the doors.

"We didn't pass them, but Annabeth just said they have a few more minutes," Percy, noticing her gaze, told her. Piper nodded.

"Yeah, I know." She cracked a smile. "Did your boss get super pissed with all the days you've been taking? I know mine was pretty upset."

I shrugged. "She's actually very understanding," I replied. "And I've been taking sick days, not vacation days, so it's not so bad." Piper nodded.

Then all of a sudden the door behind us burst open, squealing on its hinges. We all turned to see the Egyptians had arrived. Carter and Zia looked somewhat out of breath; the collar of Carter's blue business shirt was flipped over, while his wife smoothed down the skirt of her knee-length white summer dress, which had a light blue slash in the middle. Sadie, dressed in white pants, a green blouse, and blue slipper shoes, was rolling her eyes, and Walt, dressed similar to Carter in business clothes, just sighed, though he also looked somewhat nervous.

"No need to _break_ the door down," Sadie told her brother. He straightened up and glared at her.

"Sadie, it's not good to keep powerful and possibly hostile entities _waiting_ , by being _late_. Which is _your_ fault, by the way."

"I don't see why not, since we've done it before," his sister replied. "And it really wasn't; I blame Philip and Khufu, they wouldn't give that back to me." She scowled. "Kept playing keep-away-from-Sadie, the rotten wankers." Then she seemed to notice the rest of us were here, and she blushed.

"Oh, well, hello," she said. "Sorry 'bout that. Um, so, we're here! Empire State Building! Like Piper said. Why are we at the Empire State Building?"

"Because this is the entrance to Mt. Olympus," Nico, coming from the back of the room, answered. He looked even paler than normal, and his eyes kept flickering back and forth. I wondered what was wrong with him. Our new friends looked puzzled, which I understood.

"But...Mt. Olympus is in Greece," Walt pointed out, confused.

"Yes, well, the actual mountain is, that's true," Nico responded. "But the... _spiritual_ essence of Mt, Olympus, the place where the gods make their home as they move with the flame of Western Civilization, is, currently, on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building."

Carter added his own disbelief, "The Empire State Building only has 102 floors," he said.

Nico, apparently the current spokesperson for all things Greek, replied

"Well, the physical limit that mortals see is 102 floors, but Olympus is on the 600th." Carter looked like he was going to say something else, but his wife put a hand on his arm.

"It's not so much different from all our laws and truths, Carter," she said. Her husband blinked at her, then nodded.

"Yeah...Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded. He looked back at the rest of us. "Well, then, lead the way."

We obliged, and Percy approached the desk man, Charon, who had been looking at Sadie and Carter and their spouses as if they were something he found on the bottom of his shoe. Percy noticed as well, and with a scowl, demanded, "The key to the 600th floor." He held out his hand. Charon glanced at it, then continued glaring at the Egyptians.

"I'm not giving it to you if you're going to bring them on my elevator," he replied gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest. My husband's scowl deepened and he looked like he was going to argue, but then Carter stepped forward, exuding an air of confidence and authority. He offered a charming smile and glanced at Percy, who blinked, then stepped back, looking as curious as I was to see how this played out. Carter turned back to Charon.

"Hello," he said pleasantly. "Now, I'm sure there's some misunderstanding here. My family and I were personally invited by the gods of Olympus, and I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate us not showing up because one their servants wouldn't let us pass."

"I am _more_ than just a _servant_ –" Charon began, sounding insulted, but Carter kept on, interrupting him,

"And I'm also sure I could easily clear up this misunderstanding, with just a call to them. Would you like that? I could do it all, or one of my friends here – I hear you know them rather well? – could call them; you wouldn't have to do a _thing_." Carter's smile became a touch more devious as Charon looked more and more uncomfortable. "I mean, if you're only confused in your duty, then I'm sure they'll understand. Right? They're understanding folks, I'm sure?"

Charon paled, and finally he reached underneath the desk and produced the Key. Hand shaking, he gave it to the Egyptian, who took it gracefully. He turned around and grinned, obviously pleased with his performance. Zia and Walt smiled back in return while Sadie rolled her eyes. I was fairly impressed, especially with the stately, leader-like aura he'd had. It reminded me of Percy's and Jason's own auras. Carter was obviously a born leader.

"Alright, then," he said. "I got the key. So, what do we do now?" We demigods shared a small laugh, then I stepped up and took the key from him. Turning toward the elevator, I said,

"Well, we'll go up in a few groups; it's not big enough for all of us."

"What, it's not bigger on the inside than the outside?" Sadie asked, an extremely amused smile appearing on her face, as if she was sharing an inside joke with herself. I frowned at her, not comprehending, though the quote sounded familiar. Shaking my head, I pressed the UP button.

"Well, Percy, Jason, Sadie, Walt, Carter, Zia, and I will go up first," I continued. Then an amused smile of my own appeared on my face. "And then...you'll get the treat of you lives."

The eyes of my new friends lit up. "Oh, we're always up for that," Sadie said. "Let's get to it!"

The elevator dinged, and then the doors opened.


	11. I Am Sadie Kane

Chapter Eleven — SADIE

The music in the elevator was rather awful, old-fashioned and off-key, which I found odd, since I would have thought the entrance to the home of the Greek gods would have been more trumpets blaring and angels singing instead of "I'm Henry VIII, I am." But as soon as the elevator doors opened and I stepped out onto a long winding road made of marble, and gazed at the scenery before me, the elevator music left my mind completely.

On either side of the road there were fields of green dotted with golden temples and mansions, shining in the bright sunlight. I wondered if Lord Ra ever came here, or if the Greek sun god took care of things here; probably the latter. White clouds shaped like hearts, doves, foxes, ovals, and other things drifted by lazily, and occasionally a person (god? creature?) sped by on little wings, laughing in delight. I also caught sight of a couple half man, half goat creatures – satyrs – chasing after girls whose skin was either green or blue, or looked like tree bark.

"Wow," I heard Zia gasp, a note of wonder in her voice. Carter took a step closer and roamed his eyes over everything, drinking it in as I was. I turned with a smile to look at Walt, but I noticed he was still on the elevator, the only one, looking like he was in pain. Cocking my head, concerned, I walked over to him.

"Walt? What's wrong?" I asked. He shook his head roughly, and bit his lip. A light bulb flashed on in my head. "Anubis?"

A small nod. Then, the death god's distressed voice came from Walt's mouth in a painful hiss, "I am not supposed to be here. My energy does not – _mix_ with...what is here." He gasped, and clutched his side. A shudder passed through his body, and then he collapsed. Startled, I reached out to him, panicked and not knowing what to do.

"Anubis!" I shrieked. The others noticed and came over to me. I looked up at Annabeth, who was staring at my husband with wide eyes.

"Do something!" I yelled at her as Anubis let out another gasp and then moaned. "Get your _mom_ to do something! I don't care what, just make it happen soon!"

"I –" the demigod started, obviously unsure of how to respond. I looked down at Anubis; Carter had his hand on my husband's forehead, which was wet with sweat. Zia was muttering some words – a healing spell – but he didn't need Egyptian magic right now; he needed Greek permission.

"Here, wait, let me try this," Percy said, kneeling down besides Anubis. He took his hand as I locked hawk eyes on him, and said in a gentle voice, "I, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, formerly invite you, Anubis, Egyptian god of death, to Olympus, home of the Greek gods." There was silence after his words for a moment, and then a _BOOM!_ rumbled across the sky, and Anubis shot upright with a gasp, clutching at his chest.

"Anubis?" I asked tentatively, placing a hand on his back. He looked at me blankly for a moment, then shook his head. Finally he offered a small smile.

"I'm fine, Sadie," he told me. He got to his feet slowly but steadily, and, moving out of the elevator, took Percy's hand.

"I thank you very much, son of the sea," he said. Percy nodded. Then Anubis shook his head again, and when he turned to face me, Walt was back. He smiled at me.

"Are _you_ okay?" I demanded, hoping that whatever had hurt Anubis hadn't had the same effect on Walt. He nodded.

"Yes," he answered. "Yes, I'm alright." He turned to Percy and Annabeth. "What do we do now?"

Annabeth, still eyeing him worriedly, said, "Well, we'll wait for the others to come up, and then we'll meet the gods. Okay?"

"Sounds fine to me," Carter said, also looking concerned when he glanced at Walt. "Not as if we haven't experienced weirder things before, right?"

"Right," I said, looking ahead at the rolling hills and colorful wildflowers, and suddenly feeling nervous and afraid instead of enchanted. "Hopefully, this'll be a good weird instead of a bad one."

"You'll be fine," Jason assured. Taking Walt's hand and moving closer to Carter and Zia, I prayed to all _my_ gods that he was right.

~~~

Okay, so it wasn't so bad. I'll admit I might have pulled a Carter and overreacted. When the rest of our merry group came up on the elevator, we walked along the marble pathway, passing fountains and restaurants and numerous statues of the gods (Annabeth, who had apparently _designed_ all this beauty, had rolled her eyes and told me the abundance of godly depictions had _really_ _actually_ been in her contract).

Finally, we reached a giant golden gate, exactly how I used to imagine the entrance to Heaven would be like, which opened by itself upon three knocks from Annabeth. She marched on in, followed by Percy, Clarisse, Chris, and Nico, and eventually Walt, Carter, Zia, and I followed as well, with the rest of our companions bringing up the rear.

Arranged in a U-shaped formation were thirteen giant thrones, each occupied by an equally giant being. Across from the thirteenth throne, or, rather, the seventh on the right side, was a fire place, next to which sat a young girl in a green cloak. What looked like balcony seatings at a play ringed the walls of the room, where a few other humanoid creatures – other gods, I presumed – sat: one woman with platinum blond hair sat next to an orange-haired man, both of them looking lovingly into the other's eyes; another woman sat on the other side, dressed in a simple white gown and twirling a baby's binky around her finger while looking bored; and one brown-haired man was sleeping, his head resting on the shoulder of a white-haired man beside him, who also looked bored but not too annoyed at being used as a pillow.

The main thrones contained seven males and six females, males on the right and females on the left. The male in the exact middle, who had bits of gray in his beard and sharp blue eyes, was the one all the demigods approached first and to whom they offered their respects, dropping to one knee in front of him until he dismissed them with a gruff-sounding, "Get up."

I glanced at Carter, and my question was clear: did we give deference to these Greeks as their children did? They were gods, yes, but not ours, and Anubis was just as much a god as them. Also, Carter was Pharaoh, something of a living god himself, since Horus had been hosted by him, and thinking that way, each one of us either was or had been a host, so almost gods ourselves.

Finally Carter offered a sort of mix between full respect and maintaining our own independent status by bowing at the waist and dipping his head a bit; the rest of us Egyptians copied him. We rose from our half-bows to see some of the Greek gods whispering to each other; a man dressed in black leather and sunglasses was muttering angrily to the blond, jean-wearing male beside him, while the brown-haired woman with regal posture and hard features sitting next to the gray bearded one glared at us. No one turned us into piles of goo or caused us to burst into flames, though, so I guess they approved, somewhat.

Finally the gray-bearded one spoke. "So," he drawled, his voice like thunder, "Egyptians, under my very roof." His blue eyes – eyes like Jason's, I realized suddenly – narrowed. "I never thought I would see the day."

"Nor did I," Anubis answered, an edge to his voice. Carter and I glared at him, but he was staring at Gray Beard. "Do you really think us such a threat you would douse your home in such protective warding spells?"

"I do not fear you!" Gray Beard roared. "You are lucky to be able to remain here, you dog; it is only at the request of my daughter that we hear you out that I do not burn your miserable hides to crisps where you stand."

"You would speak to me in such a manner, you ungrateful little –"

"Anubis!" I snapped, reaching out and pinching him hard. He flinched, then looked at me guiltily before shuffling back behind me. He gestured towards Carter. Carter looked less than pleased at having to deal with a hostile god now even angrier because of Anubis' interjections, but put on a good face as he looked at Gray Beard.

"My lord," he said politely. "I do apologize for my brother-in-law; from what he's told us, you and our own gods haven't...had the best relationship in years past."

"You can say that again," the blond Jean Wearer said, stretching in his seat. The man on his other side, who held a stick with two entwined snakes, rolled his eyes, while the woman – actually a girl of no more than twelve – across from him growled at Jean Wearer.

"Be quiet, Apollo," she hissed. "Now is not the time!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, sis," Jean Wearer – Apollo – replied. His sister looked furious at that.

"How many times have I _told_ you, you _stupid_ boy –"

"Artemis! Do not start now!" The regal woman snapped. Artemis said something under her breath, which caused the woman next to her – a woman with blond hair, flawless skin, and kaleidoscope eyes – to giggle into her hand. The regal woman developed a tic on her eyebrow.

"What did you say?" she demanded. The woman closest to her, dressed in yellow with brown hair and hands smudged with dirt, and who had been glaring at the god in the thirteenth throne, told the regal woman,

"Well, she was probably saying you need more cereal in your diet. It helps with constipation." Regal Woman's tic became more evident and her face flushed. The beautiful woman who had first giggled laughed out loud now.

"Well, hmm, not quite, Demeter," she told the brown-haired woman.

"ENOUGH!" Gray Beard ordered, a clap of thunder punctuating his command. "I will not have you women bickering all throughout this meeting! It is unseemly! If none of you can behave, you will be banished from this room for the duration of their visit!" The woman who had talked about cereal glared at him.

"You will do no such thing to me," she declared, raising her chin in defiance. Gray Beard groaned, and the man who sat exactly next to him, also bearded but with sea-green eyes and a trident in hand and who had shared occasional winks with Percy, chuckled. The man in leather and sunglasses cracked his knuckles, then shifted himself in his throne.

"I don't see why these Egyptian punks coming into our home has to be the reason for _not_ fighting," he complained. Then he seemed to brighten. "Oh, the _awesome_ battles we used to have with you guys! Delicious! We need that back!" Then he thrust a finger in my brother's direction. "You, kid! You almost smell like one of mine! How come you've got the stench of a war god all over you? It's faded, but it's there."

"Yes, yes, introductions!" Another woman said, sounding exasperated, and I noticed Annabeth wincing in sympathy. She had pretty gray eyes. "Let them introduce themselves, and then we'll tell them who we are." There was some rumbling amongst the gods, but finally Gray Beard nodded and gestured for Carter to go. My brother stood up straight and looked all the gods in the eye as best he could.

"My name is Carter Kane," he said at last. "Son of Julius and Ruby Faust Kane, and through them, a descendent of the Pharaohs Narmer and Rameses the Great. I was once the host for Horus, the Egyptian god of war and kingship, and currently I serve as Pharaoh for the House of Life." I noticed our demigod friends looked a bit surprised at the last part, which we had neglected to tell them earlier. But I guess Carter couldn't really leave anything out when talking with these gods.

It was my turn now. "I am Sadie Kane," I announced. "Carter's sister, Ruby and Julius' daughter, and also a descendent of Narmer and Rameses. Years ago I hosted Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic and motherhood, and that served me well when we battled the chaos snake, Apep. Nowadays, my husband, sister-in-law, and I are helpers and advisors to my brother when dealing with the House of Life."

Walt and Zia went next, describing their lineage and respective fields of power. Anubis refused to speak, but the Greeks didn't seem too concerned about it, probably knowing who he was anyway. After Zia was finished, the gods introduced themselves, starting with Gray Beard.

"I am Zeus, god of the sky, lord of rain, lightning, storms, and thunder, and king of the gods. This is my wife, Hera." Regal Woman looked at us disdainfully.

"I am queen of Olympus," she said, a small note of haughtiness in her voice. "I preside over marriage, women, families, and children."

"Poseidon, here," the green-eyes god told us nonchalantly. "God of the sea, lord of horses, the Earthshaker, and Percy's father." He waved his trident at his son, who ducked his head, looking a little embarrassed.

And so on and so on. The leather-and-sunglasses-wearing god was Clarisse's father Ares, god of war and anger, which I could definitely believe; the woman with the kaleidoscope eyes was Piper's mother and the gray-eyed goddess was Annabeth's. A few of the balcony gods also offered up their names, such as Hebe and Morpheus. When they were all done, there was a small lull in the conversation, and that's when Nico stepped forward, bowing first to his father Hades and then to Lord Zeus.

"My lord, if I might speak?" he asked. "It pertains to the Egyptians' presence here, though I assure you it is not their fault." Zeus looked at his nephew warily, and Walt and I and then Carter and I exchanged looks. What did Nico want to say? And what did it have to do with us?

"Very well, son of Hades," Zeus said eventually. "Say your piece." Nico hesitated for a moment, then looked at his father. Hades raised an eyebrow.

"Father – my lords and ladies – I believe that we may be meeting another Egyptian soon, one not as friendly as the ones you see before you; this one means us harm. And he has teamed up with an enemy from among our own kind."

"You mean I have a traitor in my palace again?" Zeus growled, small sparks of lightning shooting from his person.

"Not in yours," Nico said. "In my father's. Melinoe –" My ears perked up at that as Hades glared at his son.

"You know better than to speak that name lightly," the god snapped, interrupting.

Nico stared back and swallowed, but continued, "And I do not say it lightly now. Melinoe is stirring, and she has teamed up with an Egyptian to accomplish her plans. She fought against us in the Second Titan War, didn't she? Obviously she was not satisfied with how things went down. She seeks revenge."

"And who is this Egyptian she works with?" Athena asked. She glanced at the four of us. "You are sure these ones are not in league with them?"

"Mother!" Annabeth protested as Nico nodded.

"I'm sure," he said, and his conviction touched me. They had known us less than a week – three, four days at most – and already they had such faith in us. "But I think they know more about the Egyptian threat then I do. I just know his name is –"

"Setne," Zia supplied looking over at all the assembled gods. "Also known as Khaemweset. He is a ruthless, moral-less, conniving schemer who wishes to become a god. And if even you have evidence he is stirring, then we must as well, and complete this peace talks, and then turn our minds to war."


	12. Pegasi-Eating Monster?

Chapter Twelve — ANNABETH

Nico's and Zia's words were met with mixed reactions: Ares thrust his fist in the air and let out a whoop of joy; Demeter at once started loudly berating Hades for his "terrible influence" over her "sweet granddaughter"; Aphrodite, Hermes, and Artemis were pursing their lips in slight concern; and Zeus looked ready to blow a gasket.

"I am tired of wars and treason," the thunder god growled. "It is _one_ thing to have to deal with enemies from my own domain, but now the _Egyptians_ want to resume our rivalry! It is too much!"

" _We_ want no such thing," Carter protested. "I can assure you, we are as much an enemy to Setne as you are."

"And how would you prove such a claim?" Hera demanded, narrowing her eyes at the Pharaoh (a title by which I was still shocked).

"Well, since _you're_ the ones who are so suspicious, you might as well tell us how," Sadie replied, lifting her chin defiantly. "Or else you'll just be dissatisfied, and think we're still enemies."

"Very well!" the goddess exclaimed. "I say you should –"

"Everyone hold your tongues!" Hades roared, glaring at his family members. A tic developed over Zeus' eyes, as he was obviously displeased at his brother taking charge, but made no move to silence the Underworld's ruler. When Hades saw that all the gods had quieted, he continued, his voice coming off as an angry hiss, "First off, let my son finish. He has information, relevant, apparently." He then looked at Nico. "How do you know all this? Have you seen Melinoe planning?"

"I have heard whispers among the shades," Nico replied.

Off to the side, Demeter snorted. "What proof is that?" she said dismissively. "They're all out of their minds down there, with no thought as to what's happening around them."

"Not the ones who dwell in Elysium," Nico countered, scowling at the goddess. " _They_ are _very_ reliable witnesses."

"Witnesses to what?" asked Artemis, cocking her head.

"Many have told me that some things aren't right over in Melinoe's cave," Nico replied. "They hear roars and screams and see strange lights when for centuries there has hardly been movement or sound from the goddess, except for when she comes back from a particularly good night on the prowl."

"That still doesn't mean anything," Zeus said, sounding annoyed. "How do you know she's plotting with an Egyptian, if she's plotting at all?"

Nico answered, "Because they have also heard her talking to someone, one she calls Setne, and they all feel a presence that is... _wrong_ , and different from them. The reports have been coming in, sporadically, for a couple months now, but I never thought anything of it. But then we met Carter and Sadie, and it occurred to me that maybe the presence the ghosts have felt is that of an Egyptian."

"But what are we supposed to do about whispers and strange noises?" Dionysus demanded lazily, a Coke can in his hand. "There is no threat. Nothing to fight. Are we supposed to... _watch?"_

"Sometimes that is the best course of action," Lady Hestia said in a gentle yet firm voice.

"I'm still not convinced we need to do anything," Hermes put in. He eyed Carter and Sadie and their spouses suspiciously. "Maybe Melinoe _is_ discontent; well, then she should go to Harmonia for counseling like everybody else. How do we know this Setne is a threat?"

"I had a dream!" Sadie exclaimed, afterwards looking surprised at herself. I glanced at Percy, all of a sudden remembering Ally's dream the other night. Could it be connected? Some of the gods looked intrigued by Sadie's answer, so she continued, "I saw Setne in a dark cave with a woman in a gold shawl, and she was grumbling about her plans being witnessed...by a little kid, I think."

"Oh, no..." Percy breathed. I glanced at him but he turned to Sadie as she was describing Melinoe's face. "What does Setne look like?"

The Egyptians looked surprised by the question. "He looks like a walking corpse," Walt answered. "A skeleton with skin, basically. Usually he has the Ribbons of Hathor on – they're like a perpetual magic prison, making it so he can't do magic, but as you heard Sadie, in her dream he didn't have them."

"Oh, no," Percy repeated. "Our daughter had a dream, too." So Percy had recognized it too. I bit my lip as the rest of the gods perked up; an Egyptian stranger's dream was one thing, but a demigod's dream required investigation.

"She – my daughter – had a nightmare, or we thought it was," Percy began explaining. "She said she saw two people who were dried out like mummies, and the woman was 'gold and sparkly'; Melinoe likes to wear gold, right? And Ally said that the woman – Melinoe – snapped her fingers and the red ribbons around th man were suddenly gone." Our Egyptian friends began muttering to each other, looking concerned, and the gods finally seemed worried.

"Alright!" Zeus declared, drawing everyone's attention. "Here is what will happen: Hades, you and your son shall keep ears and eyes out for any more suspicious activity; Hermes, make sure none of the other minor gods are thinking of siding with Melinoe; Perseus, see if your daughter has any more dreams and record extra monster activity – the last part goes for all of you demigods." There were nods from everyone as we accepted our jobs, and Zeus gave a nod of his own, satisfied. He rose from his throne. "Alright! This meeting is dismissed."

Immediately Artemis rose from her own throne, no doubt ready to go hunting again. Apollo leaped out of his, followed by Ares; those two were probably up to mischief. Hephaestus slowly got out of his seat, glancing over at Aphrodite, who was examining her nails. Hera got up with a swish of her skirts and she started to follow her husband out of the room.

"Wait!" The gods paused and glanced down at Sadie, who looked extremely annoyed. "What about us? You called us here, and now you've forgotten about us?"

"What I think she means to say," Carter added quickly, more diplomatic than his sister, "is, are we alright? Our peoples? We mean you no harm, and wish only to dwell in peace, and I hope that sentiment is reciprocated."

The gods glanced at each other, then Zeus looked at the Egyptians, contemplating for a while. Then he said, "We are willing to be peaceful, for now. If something comes of this Melinoe-Setne problem, then we will see you sooner. If not, then we shall observe how you interact with our children of this generation; if your actions are threatening, we will act accordingly. If not, then we shall issue another... _invitation_ in six months' time. Understood?"

"That seems acceptable," Carter agreed. I appreciated the subtle way he raised his people and himself to a more equal footing with our gods; from the look in my mother's eye, I knew she appreciated it, too.

Zeus nodded once more. "Good. Now, all of you, leave."

My husband and I gave each other a look, and to the side Sadie sounded insulted again, saying, "Now, wait, what do you -" but then both Carter and Walt slapped a hand over her mouth; she sputtered behind their hands while Zia laughed behind her own hand. Shaking my head, I went over to my new friend and touched her arm gently.

"Come on," I said, as the throne room emptied of gods. "Let's go back." Sadie gave a small frown, but then nodded, and I led her to the exit.

~~~

As soon as Percy and I stepped foot into his mother's house to pick up the kids, his cell phone rang. Sally's pleased smile slipped into a confused frown as I glanced at my husband, half curious and half concerned. Percy and I owned cell phones, of course; it just made work and life easier, though we were very careful about when we turned them on and when we brought them with us. Sometimes it was various teachers asking Percy to fill in for them, sometimes it was Sally or Paul or my dad if they couldn't reach us, or even demigod friends or acquaintances. Percy shot his mom an apologetic look and picked up; while he talked I moved into the house and gave my mother-in-law a hug.

"Sally, thanks again for taking them so many times in a row," I said. The older woman, with more white in her hair than not and a few more laugh lines, waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, of course," she said. "They're in the back with Paul; I think he's telling them about the part he played in the Titan War." She rolled her eyes but smiled, and I smiled back.

"I'm sure that'll entertain them," I remarked. "They do love hearing about family members' acts of heroism." Sally nodded in agreement.

Just then I heard Percy say "Good-bye" and hang up the phone. I turned around to see him, and he looked upset.

"Percy?" asked his mom. "Are you okay? Whats wrong?"

"That was...that was Chiron," he replied, sounding somewhat puzzled. "He says...he said that the pegasi are really freaking out – something _ate_ one of them earlier today, and they swear it's a water creature, and Chiron said they refuse to settle down until I go see them."

"It...it wasn't Blackjack, was it?" I ask quietly, hoping for my husband's sake one of his beloved pets and fighting companions was alright. Percy shook his head quickly.

"No, no," he answered. "No, Blackjack's fine. I might give him a call to give me a ride, though, if he's not as freaked out." He took a step closer to us and gave Sally a kiss on the cheek, then me a kiss on the lips.

"Be careful now," I warned. "I don't want _you_ getting eaten." He grinned at me.

"You oughta have a bit more faith in me," he said. "I swear, there is no monster, pegasi-eating or otherwise, that would keep me from coming back to all of you." I smiled and lightly swatted his shoulder.

"Good," I replied. "Now get going and come back so we can do something fun with the kids later." He nodded, gave a small salute, then walked out the door, giving a whistle as he did so to summon his ride.

Sally turned to me.

"Shall we go see what part of the story they're at?" she asked, her voice laced with amusement.

"Yes, let's," I agreed, and so that's what we did.


	13. I Am Tied to a Chair

Chapter Thirteen — SADIE

I did _not_ go looking for trouble.

I did not seek it out; I did not hunt for it; I would have preferred to avoid it _altogether_ , but, unfortunately, _it_ found _me_. And it all started with a little black dog.

Well, I guess it started a bit before the dog. After Carter, Zia, Walt, and I were – rather _rudely_ , in my opinion – dismissed from Olympus, our two groups, Greek/Roman and Egyptian, discussed the meeting in the Empire State Building's waiting room. Leo and Jason assured us that it went very well, considering the amount of anger on the gods' part, that we didn't get vaporized on the spot. Annabeth had scolded them and told us that wouldn't have happened anyway, but Percy and Chris hadn't looked too convinced.

Jason, Reyna, Hazel, and Frank had decided to catch an early flight back to San Francisco to spread the news about the Egyptian existence in their own camp, while Leo, Piper, Chris and Clarisse made it their job to do the same for the Greek camp. Nico was going down into the Underworld with his father to investigate Melinoe, and Carter and Zia left to tell Amos about the meeting and inform the heads of the other Nomes about the Greco-Roman gods. Walt had to get back to his shop, and I needed to get to work, too, if I didn't want to be fired, so after I made plans with Annabeth and Piper for coffee over the weekend, we all went our separate ways.

The four of us had taken two cars, so Carter and Zia took one while Walt took the other. He'd suggested me driving him and dropping him off so I could have the car, but I told him to take it; parking at work could be a pain in the arse, and his work was farther than mine so it wouldn't make sense for me to drop him off. I assured him I'd be fine – there was a reason some New Yorkers didn't know how to drive, what will all the cabs and public transportation – and sent him on his way. The nearest bus stop my destination, I went my way.

Of course, when I got there, the bus had just pulled away and I would have to wait another half hour for the next one. With a huff and a quick tapping of my foot, I contemplated calling a cab; I should have enough fare for the ride.

Just then I heard a yip by my feet. I looked down and saw a cute black dog standing there, staring at me with his tongue hanging out. Now, just because I hang out with crocodiles and baboons, and grew up with a cat/cat goddess for a pet, doesn't mean I dislike dogs. This looked like a Labrador Retriever puppy, small in size and with a soft, glossy coat; I bent down to pet him, and he wagged his tail.

"Aren't you a cutie," I said. "Are you lost?" He couldn't be a stray; he looked too well-cared for for that, and plus he had a red collar on, though there didn't seem to be any tags that I could see.

"Yes, but he's almost home," a voice replied. For a moment, I thought the dog had answered me (it really wouldn't be _so_ strange considering _my_ life), but when I looked up I saw a man standing there, obviously the one who had spoken. He was about 6', with dark hair and a dark bushy mustache to match. He was dressed in a plain white shirt, brown cargo pants, and black shoes.

"Are you the owner?" I asked, straightening up. The dog remained sitting.

The man shook his head; he looked to be in his twenties. "No, no; I'm just watching him for somebody." There was a slight accent to his words, but I couldn't quite place it. Western, maybe.

"Well, that's nice of you," I replied. "Though maybe you should keep a closer eye on him. Wouldn't be good if he got lost in the middle of New York City."

The man didn't seem to hear me. He made no move to pick up the dog, and he kept staring intently at me with chocolate brown eyes.

"You don't remember me, do you, Sadie Kane?" It was an accusation. I reeled back, startled. Then I grew wary. There was a high probability this was a monster in disguise, or some sort of rogue magician.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," I said, slowly reaching into my pocket to pull out my wand. He _did_ seem a little familiar. He moved closer, and I stepped back. He glared at me.

"Then you're a heartless shrew," he snarled, reaching for my arm; I snatched it away. "Did you really forget us all? From Chicago? You forgot the smell of burning flesh and the sound of people crying as they slowly died because you were too late to save them? Did you, Sadie Kane!?"

I scrambled back from him, and the dog began growling, growing until it was three times its size, and its fur turned into spikes. The man barked a command at it, and it changed back, but it kept glaring at me, as did the man. Then, all of a sudden I recognized his face.

24-year-old Samuel Richards, a magician from the Thirtieth Nome, Chicago, Illinois, which had been one of the ones destroyed by Apophis in his hunt to annihilate the copies of Setne's scrolls.

As soon as I realized that, the images of the damage came back to me, and my knees grew weak. The public had blamed a terrorist-placed bomb for the smoldering wreckage of the giant antique store that had housed one of the copies of the scroll, as well as the proprietor and his wife, their son Samuel, and his small family, plus a few customers at the time. Carter and I had arrived only in time to see the building go up in flames so high and hot that the firefighters hadn't had a snowball's chance in Hell to defeat it. I had had regular nightmares for weeks after seeing a young girl's body dragged out of the rubble heap.

Samuel continued glaring at me – but it _couldn't_ be Samuel, because he was dead. Was it his ghost? Why wasn't he with my father? It had been twelve years; I didn't think the Underworld was _that_ backed up with souls.

"I had a wife," Samuel continued, his tone steely. "Amanda. And a little girl; she was _two-years-old._ And Amanda was pregnant at the time, and all because you wouldn't give that stupid snake what he wanted, they're all _dead_. And my parents, too. _I'm_ dead. And you got on with your life, and you _forgot_ us."

"N-no," I stammered. At least there was no one around to see me breaking down, and for Samuel to hurt if he chose to. "No, no, Samuel...you...you don't understand. We couldn't let Apophis get the scroll, but we never wanted you to get hurt. My brother and I -"

"Save it," Samuel growled. His eyes glowed red. "I'm pretty pissed at that brother of yours, too. And I know the perfect way to get back at both of you. He loves his little sister, doesn't he? What do you think he'll do, how do you think he'll _feel_ , when I deliver your burned up carcass to him?"

"No!" I burst out. "Please, please Samuel, you don't have to do anything like that! I'm so sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. Please, tell me what I can do; I'll do anything to help you find peace, to be with your family, where I'm sure they're waiting for you." A tear slid down my cheek. "Samuel, please."

"You can be quiet," Samuel answered, his tone suddenly very quiet. "And stay very still." I sniffed and looked at him confused. Then all of a sudden the dog changed again, growing and morphing even quicker than before. He lunged at me, razor sharp teeth bared, and before I could do anything, he tackled me to the ground, where I hit my head, and then everything went dark.

~~~

I woke up tied to a chair, my wrists bound together behind my back and my legs strapped to the legs of the chair; there was also a gag in my mouth, and to my dismay, I realized that my restraints, and the gag, were all made out of leather. Obviously, whoever had kidnapped me didn't want me able to do magic, even if I could get the gag off.

For a moment I panicked, rocking around wildly in the chair, hoping that I could loosen my binds. But then I remembered that I was Sadie Kane, slayer of Apophis and the second strongest magician in the world (alright, so I tie with Carter; we're still both in second place); I should be able to figure a way out even if I was a little tied up at the moment. I looked around, hoping something in my surroundings might help.

I was in a warehouse, terribly cliché. The floor was wet and there were shelves filled with fishing nets and hooks off to the side. The air was permeated with the smell of fish, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Obviously, I was by the docks somewhere.

"Hey, hey, doll. Long time no see." My head snapped to side, to see Setne standing there with a manic grin on his face. His frame seemed fuller, less skeletal, than before, and he had his hands behind his head casually. He move closer and removed my gag; I glared at him and wished I'd been quick enough to try and bite him.

"Setne," I spat. "How dare you take Samuel's soul away from his resting place –"

"Well, now, that actually wasn't me," Setne replied, surprising me as his jerked his thumb behind him. "And it wasn't actually Samuel, either. It was _her_."

A woman stepped out of the shadows, or, rather, she levitated, over to where I was. Wrapped up tightly in a gold shawl, it was the goddess Melinoe. She smiled smugly at me.

"It is about time you woke up and joined us, Sadie Kane," she said. "I was afraid you were going to miss all the fun."

"What did you do to Samuel?" I demanded, glaring at her. The goddess shook her head.

"I did nothing," she replied. "I am the goddess of ghosts and terror, and it is within my power to appear in any form that will strike the most fear and discomfort within my victims. I merely took a death that you regret and taunted you with it."

I bit my lip. Both Percy and Nico had warned us about that before we left the Empire State Building; I should have listened better.

"And the interesting thing is, I hadn't even meant to go after you," Melinoe continued. "I thought your sister-in-law would be a better option, more to choose from, if you will, but then I felt your aura and was just _drawn_ to you. At first I didn't understand, but when I got closer, I realized you had had a god's curse clinging tightly to you." She gave a small laugh. "Too bad for you, hmm?"

A god's curse? Who would have...I swore when I realized it. Neith. I had been tricked by my enemy, just as she had said. But that was twelve years ago; didn't those things have an expiration date?

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. "What 'fun' are you talking about?"

Melinoe flicked her wrist, and then a giant figure came out from one of the shadowy corners – really, it was such a hulking thing I can't believe I didn't notice it before. It was a wolf and a lion stuck inside a huge hermit crab's shell, with the little black dog from earlier stuck between them. The wolf and lion heads snapped at each other, and the dog kept making adorably deceiving yipping noises. Melinoe turned back to me.

"This is the animal of power of Serapis," she explained. I frowned, recognizing the name. It was that of a combined Greco-Egyptian god favored by Ptolemy I, to legitimize his reign over the Egyptians.

"With all three parts together, we shall summon the great king of all the gods," the ghost goddess continued, "and then we shall use his power to turn this world into a chaotic ghost-land. All the nations will cry rivers of blood, and I will feast to my heart's content day and night, with no one to stop me!" She let out a maniacal laugh.

"And me, love, I'll have a nice little piece of Egypt to rule, right?" Setne added, looking at his partner. Melinoe cut off her laughing and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes," she said dismissively. Setne pursed his lips. I wondered if I could somehow use this strain to my advantage, but I should probably keep Melinoe talking enough so the summoning would be delayed as long as possible.

"And, um, yes, what do you need _me_ for?" I asked. Melinoe grinned again, the expression stretching her face and making her appear even ghastlier than before, if that was possible.

"Why," she replied, "you will be his first victim. When Serapis rises, we will give you to him as a sacrifice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't read the "Son of Sobek" and/or the "Staff of Serapis," then the monster Carter and Percy battle in "Sobek" is a giant crocodile, and in this story, that's what Percy goes after in the last chapter, and we will hear more about that in the next chapter.
> 
> In "Serapis," Sadie and Annabeth team up to defeat Serapis, summoned by Setne in an attempt at converging Greek and Egyptian magic. My story uses elements of those two, obviously, but they are different in time setting, some characters, and the overall plot.


	14. Mafia Style

Chapter Fourteen — ANNABETH

"Mama, when is Daddy coming home?" Ally asked, peering up at me with shining sea-green eyes. I had just finished the story of Percy's and mine first kiss inside Mt. St. Helens, when I'd put on my invisibility cap and slipped away to let him deal with the telkhines, unsure if I would even ever see him again. Of course, I had to censor that last part a bit; no need to scare my kids, especially so young.

"I don't know, baby, but I'm sure it'll be soon," I answered, stroking her head; Percy had been gone at least two hours. Sally smiled down at her granddaughter, and handed me a glass of lemonade, which I accepted gratefully. Just then the door opened, and we all turned our heads to see Percy step through. Ally and Luke were up in a flash, tackling his legs, while Ethan slowly made his way with my help.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain, did you take care of it?" I asked as I greeted him with a kiss. He nodded, but seemed almost as distracted and confused as he had when he left. I cocked my head. "What's wrong? What was up with the pegasi?"

"You won't believe it," Percy said, shaking his head as he patted Luke an Ally on their own heads. "I got there, and the thing that had been threatening camp was a _crocodile_."

"A crocodile?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "On Long Island?"

"I told you that you wouldn't believe it," he declared, "but yeah, it was a crocodile, the size of a truck, that ate one of the pegasi. But get this: the crocodile had been enchanted to grow, with this necklace that had both Greek and _Egyptian_ writing. It's called a _petsuchos."_

My eyes widened. "Egyptian, too?" I said. "Wait, how were you able to read it?"

"Well, even stranger, I didn't – I wasn't the only one called out to deal with this," Percy explained. "A _magician_ showed up, but not any one we know. He was just as shocked by me as I was by him; when we finished taking care of the _petsuchos_ , I had to explain to him who and what I was, and I had to mention Carter's and Sadie's names a bunch of times to get him to believe me." My husband chuckled. "There were a couple misunderstandings at first. But anyway, his name is Julian, and he follows the Path of Horus, like Carter. He had this pretty cool hawk avatar when we were fighting the crocodile."

"But what _was_ the crocodile?" I asked. The kids had gone back to playing on their own, with Ally thrusting an imaginary sword into the air and the boys cheering her on. "How could it have been both Greek and Egyptian? Could it have something to do with Setne and Melinoe?"

Percy's face darkened. "I'm afraid it does," he replied gravely. "From what Julian told me, it was a way of trying to combine Greek and Egyptian magic, sort of like a prototype experiment, and maybe it could also be their way of making themselves known."

"Either way it's not good," I concluded. Just then my cell rang, and, somewhat startled, I picked it up; if it wasn't important, the phone wouldn't even be ringing.

"Hello?" I said.

 _"Annabeth?"_ It was Carter. _"Annabeth, have you heard from Sadie at all?"_

"No," I said, confused. "No, I haven't talked to her since this morning. Why, what happened?"

 _"She was supposed to go to work right afterwards, but a while ago her boss left an angry message on our machine saying she if she missed one more day she'd be fired,"_ the magician answered, sounding distressed. _"We've tried her cell; Walt's out driving around looking for her; Zia even tried a scrying spell, and a location spell. I thought maybe you might have an idea."_

"I'm sorry, but I don't," I told him, upset I couldn't offer any helpful information. "But I will start looking now. I'm sure everything's fine, Carter; I will let you know if I find her."

 _"Alright. Alright, I'll do the same. Thank-you, Annabeth, so much,"_ Carter said, and then hung up. I looked up from my phone and saw Percy, Sally, and Paul emerging from the kitchen with a plate of cookies, all looking at me.

"Is there another crisis already?" Paul asked, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"Sadie's missing, apparently," I told him. Percy was automatically on high alert.

"Need me to help?" he asked me, hand straying to his pocket, where Riptide always rested. I shook my head.

"No, I think I'll be alright," I said. "Well, I guess you could go search, too, but if you do I think we should split up, and cover more ground that way." Percy nodded slowly.

"Okay," he said. He then turned to Sally. "Mom, would you - well, would you mind if I borrowed your car, while Annabeth takes ours? Is it too much to ask you to look after the kids for a bit longer?"

Sally waved her hand dismissively. "Of course," she replied. "We love having them, and if one of us is here we don't need two cars anyway. I hope you can find this girl."

"Thanks, Mom," Percy said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I also thanked my mother-in-law, and then we told the kids that we needed a bit more adult time, and to be just as good now as they had been before. Then Percy got into his mother's car and I got into ours.

As soon as I did, though, I realized I had no idea where I should be looking. New York was a big place, and who knew where Sadie might be? I sat in the car for a while, thinking. Well, if she hadn't shown up at her work and hadn't told her family where she was, then she probably wasn't acting of her own free will. Of course, there were still a lot of places in and out the city where a person could be held captive, so perhaps that wasn't the best clue.

Suddenly I was struck by a feeling, that I needed to go to the docks. Although it seemed terribly cliché that a kidnap victim would be at the docks, possibly ready to "sleep with the fishes," mafia style, I couldn't shake the idea that Sadie was there. So, off I went, hoping I was right and that I would find her in one piece.

~~~

I've always loved the smell of the ocean, a big reason for that being Percy, of course, but the smell of the docks was not the same. A mixture of salt, fish, seaweed, and decaying wood assaulted my nose, and I wrinkled it in disgust. I had put on my magic Yankees cap for privacy and protection, in case any dock workers saw me and got in the way, but it was strangely silent. I frowned, confused. It was barely 1:30; was everyone on a lunch-break? What could be keeping the men from their work?

That's when I realized it. Beneath the generally unpleasant smell in the air and the irritating humidity, there was a slight... _pulsing_ in the air, and it sent shivers down my spine. The last time I'd felt something like this was when I shook Walt/Anubis' hand. Obviously something magic-y was going on, and either the dock workers had sensed it, too, and fled in fear, or...someone or some _thing_ had gotten rid of them. I bit my lip, distressed by the thought, but then I shook my head to clear it. I needed to be focused right now, for Sadie's sake –

 _"OOOOOOOHAAAAAAARGH!"_ A giant roar snapped me out of my thoughts and into battle mode. Running in the direction of the sound, I gripped my dagger – sporting a blue hilt and a gray blade, it was given to me by Percy for our anniversary just passed. I loved the symbolism of it — I received my first dagger after seven years of life, and this second one after seven years of married life — and it had gotten me out of the few monster scrapes I'd encountered as an adult. It was an important tool, and I felt secure as I brought it with me.

The sound had come from one of the warehouses, where the fish are stored, and as I neared it, I noticed an odd golden glow, tinged with black, surrounded it. I made sure my cap was firmly on my head and quietly opened of the doors, and slipped through; a violent shudder passed through my body and I had to hold in a gasp as I crossed the threshold. Whatever was happening was clearly Egyptian magic, and it clearly didn't want a demigod interfering.

When I had a hold of myself, I looked around. The first thing I saw — really, the first thing anyone with eyes _could_ see — was a fifteen-foot-tall figure, dressed in only Hawaiian shorts. Muscles rippled under bronze skin tattooed with Greek letters and Egyptian hieroglyphs, and a gray beard curled down to his collarbone; the hair on his head was styled into dreadlocks. He stretched his arms, brushing the ceiling as he did so.

"FINALLY!" he bellowed. "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MILLENNIA, I AM FREE! WHO HAS SUMMONED ME, THAT I MAY REWARD THEM?"

"We are the ones, mighty one, who have freed you," a woman's voice answered, an accompanying body drifting into view. At first I couldn't see her clearly, as her form kept flickering, changing into deceased campers and other demigods I'd known over the years, like Zoe and Silena, and for a split second I thought I even saw Luke. But then I gave myself a pinch, and the grisly, half dead and half alive form of Melinoe settled into view. At her side was a man who, from Sadie's description in the throne room this morning, could only be Setne.

"THEN I THANK YOU, GODDESS!" the giant roared; I was beginning to suspect that was his normal speaking voice. I didn't want to hear his outside voice.

There was something about him that was familiar, or, at least, that I felt I should know. Being near him made me feel light-headed, as if he were poison. I didn't like the way the Greek and Egyptian symbols swirled on his skin; his very nature seemed like an abomination. I just wished I could remember what he was supposed to be called.

Another glance around, and I saw what – who – I had been searching for in the first place: Sadie, tied to a chair and at the moment struggling against her bonds. I made my way towards her, careful not to step on anything that might squeak and give me away.

Melinoe was speaking again, "It is not thanks I desire, great one, but a share in the new world you will undoubtedly make. This world has changed drastically since you resided in this realm, and we think it high time it changed again."

The giant threw his head back and laughed; it sounded like claps of thunder in my ear. "BOLD DEMANDS, KHTHONION – YES, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, UNDERWORLD GODDESS. AND WHEN I RECLAIM THAT KINGDOM FROM YOUR FATHER, WHY SHOULD I GRANT YOU A PART OF IT?"

"Well, of course I shall let you think on it," the goddess said, voice calm and collected. "But in the meantime, we have prepared a treat for you. Behold, a Blood of Pharaohs, and a former host of Isis, yours for the taking." Here she turned and gestured to Sadie, who glared. I froze, just behind Sadie's chair; she of course didn't see me.

"ISIS? MY FORMER CONSORT?" the giant said, sounding almost amused. "YOU PLAN TO CONVINCE ME WITH A BRIDE?"

"Not a snowball's chance in Hell, you stupid arse!" Sadie yelled, a heavy British accent slipping into her speech. "I'm happily married already, thank-you!"

But suddenly things had finally started coming together in my brain. A giant that exuded conflicting auras; the idea of combining Greek and Egyptian magic; the fact he mentioned Isis as his former wife. I knew who this giant was. And I knew how dangerous it would be if he wasn't stopped soon – a god who was the embodiment of warring nature, meant to delude and oppress a people.

This, was Seraphis.


	15. We Deceive a God

Chapter Fifteen — SADIE

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and would have cried out if not for an _invisible_ hand clapping itself over my mouth. Melinoe and Setne were still conversing with Seraphis, who twirled around his staff, made up of the weird, three-headed creature from earlier, with the boredom of a little boy being lectured by his parents.

I couldn't _see_ the hand, but if I could _feel_ it, then that meant I could _bite_ it, right? I didn't know if this was an enemy, after all. Before I could, however, a disembodied voice accompanied the disembodied hand, and it sounded like Annabeth!

"Sadie," she hissed in a whisper, "it's me, Annabeth. I'm going to untie you, but don't let them know, alright?" I gave a small nod, still shocked at the demigod's presence here. And her invisibility. But hey, Carter and I have done the same thing before, lots of times (and we've gotten _better_ over the years, thank-you very much; not even a rubbish chaos god could detect us now); I guess it's not much of a stretch to think Greeks have their own spells for things.

After a bit, I felt the leather straps chaffing at my wrists fall away, and while I longed to bring my hands forward and rub out the soreness, I kept my arms positioned behind my back; I then felt the straps at my legs loosening as Annabeth got to work there. Hopefully when I was completely free, the presence of the leather wouldn't impede my spellcasting too much.

Suddenly Serapis' demeanor changed. He stopped twirling the staff and straightened up, frowning. His shoulders tensed, and, he took a step forward. Melinoe stopped in the middle of whatever she was talking about as she also noticed Serapis' new attitude.

"What is the matter, great one?" she asked, tone tense.

"I SENSE THE PRESENCE OF A GREEK," Serapis stated, frowning and glancing around. The hands at my feet paused, as Annabeth froze. Melinoe and Setne glanced at each other.

"Surely you realize you _are_ in the presence of a Greek, mighty one?" Melinoe asked slowly, as if explaining things to a small child. Serapis glared at her, gaze burning; I saw Melinoe flinch from the intensity.

"I DO NOT REFER TO YOU, GODDESS!" he snarled. He lifted his up and looked around, almost frantically. "LONG AGO, WHEN I RULED THIS WORLD, IT WAS NOT JUST ISIS WHO STAYED BY MY SIDE, BUT PALLAS ATHENE, THE WARRIOR GODDESS. IT IS HER BLOOD I FEEL NOW."

"He lies," Annabeth hissed in my ear as my legs were finally free. "My mother is a virgin goddess and bound to no one; she would not have been his consort." I merely nodded, both not sure how to respond to her statement, and not wanting to give away my invisible trump card just yet.

Annabeth continued, voice hushed, "But never mind that, it looks like I'm about to be caught. Might as well see if I can incapacitate Melinoe, and now that you're free, think you can handle Setne?" After a moment's hesitation, I nodded. The daughter of the wisdom and war goddess probably had a good plan. With that, I felt the other woman's presence slip away.

Melinoe began glancing around, frowning. "I would know if another goddess were here," she said, though perhaps not as confidently as she would have liked. "You must be mistaken."

"I AM NOT," Serapis snapped. He seemed to be irritated; the tattoos on his chest began to shimmer and writhe, like they were as agitated as the one who wore them.

Suddenly Melinoe cried out in pain, clutching at her side. Setne and Serapis both looked startled, and I took the chance to leap from the chair; thrusting my hand out in Setne's direction, I yelled _"Ha-wi!"_

_Strike._

Setne was hit back, bewildered expression soon replaced with a pained one. Melinoe was still fending off her own invisible opponent, snarling as she lashed out and seemingly connected with nothing, while Serapis looked on with a confused, and yet somewhat amused look on his face. Setne started to get back up, and so I followed up my first hit with _"Khefa,"_ the spell for _Fist_. The ghost was knocked back once more, and, knowing I would probably need it, I quickly summoned my staff while Uncle Vinny was still gathering his wits. _  
_

All those spells in a row, especially after having been bound with leather, left me reeling for a moment; I swayed on my feet and saw stars, but I shook my head to clear it. I was stronger than I was twelve years ago, not that I'd been shabby then; there was no way I was going to be incapacitated by serial spell-casting.

Melinoe had finally gotten fed up with her attacker, with a growl, she snapped her fingers, and suddenly the earth erupted as skeletal hands reached up, grabbing at the air as the dead hauled themselves out of the ground. Annabeth must have tripped over them, or something, because next thing I knew she was visible, on her butt, a Yankees hat on the ground next to her. Melinoe saw her and bared her teeth.

"You!" she hissed.

Then all of a sudden Serapis began laughing like a maniac; it was loud and obnoxious, and it hurt my ears. "WONDERFUL!" he howled, causing all of us to stare at him in amazement; even the skeletons Melinoe had summoned, some of them free while others were still stuck halfway in the ground, paused in their grave-rising.

"WONDERFUL!" Serapis exclaimed again, grinning at Annabeth. "A DAUGHTER OF ATHENA, COMING TO OFFER HER SERVICES TO ME! THIS IS A MOST FORTUNATE DAY!"

"Great one, that is not –" Melinoe began to hiss, but Annabeth, gracefully rising from the ground, spoke over her,

"Indeed, my lord, the _most_ fortunate; I heard of your rising and knew I _had_ to hasten to your side."

"She lies!" Melinoe exclaimed, expression furious. Serapis cocked his head, considering.

"IF YOU DID MEAN TO SERVE ME, HOW STRANGE IT IS THAT YOU ATTACK THOSE WHO WOULD BE YOUR FELLOW SERVANTS," the god conceded.

"Servants, hey now –" Setne protested, silenced only by Melinoe's glare. Trusting that Annabeth had a plan and wasn't suddenly switching sides for her own gain, I began sidling across the floor, closer to Serapis, stuck with a crazy plan that just might work, depending on how distracted, and for how long, Annabeth could keep our three enemies.

Annabeth answered the god smoothly, "Oh, dear, my lord, you think these two are your _servants?_ How terribly you have been deceived!"

" _She_ is the one who deceives!" the ghost goddess yelled, looking ready to tear out her hair. Her skeleton soldiers began shifting, perhaps unnerved (not that have any nerves anymore) by their mistress' panic. " _She_ is your enemy, mighty one, not us! We–"

"SILENCE!" Serapis bellowed at her. He turned back to Annabeth. "EXPLAIN YOURSELF," he ordered.

Annabeth gave a little curtesy. "Of course, my lord. These two may have summoned you, but only as one summons a lesser being. They plan to _use_ you, master, for their own gain. They do not care for your wants and needs, but desire only to make you their slave."

"WHAT?! ENSLAVE _ME?!"_ Serapis roared, his countenance one of wrath. He narrowed his eyes at Melinoe, who had clenched her jaw, and Setne, who looked incredibly nervous. Serapis raised his staff.

Melinoe began speaking again, more rapidly, "No, no, great god, we are not your enemies. Have we done anything to indicate we do not have your interests at heart? Of course we are your servants! We would never disobey you –"

"I can prove it," I blurted. Everyone's eyes were on me and I hoped my plan would work. Taking a deep breath, I searched back into my memory, remembering how it felt to be one with Isis, remembering the power that came with being her Eye. Squaring my shoulders and adopting a confident smile, I said, "Oh, my dear Serapis, how long it has been since I last saw your handsome face!"

The room was quiet enough for a dropped pin to be heard as Serapis, Annabeth, Setne and Melinoe all stared at me. Finally, Serapis asked, voice unsure, "ISIS? IS THAT...IS THAT YOU?"

"Well, of course; who else do you think it would be?" I asked, giving my hair a little flip. "I know it's been a while, and this isn't the form I wanted to greet you in, but it'll have to do. Oh, and you will have to excuse me staying like this; my host is really a nuisance and I had to force her to give up control of her body. I am a bit...weakened, you understand, because my siblings and I, until recently, have been sealed inside an artifact and have just been released." Hopefully that explanation would prevent Serapis from asking 'Isis' to show her true form.

It seemed to work. Serapis nodded, almost eagerly. "AH, I SEE, MY LOVE; AND HAVE NO FEAR! SOON ENOUGH I WILL CREATE A WORLD WHERE YOU MAY EXIST FREELY, UNCONFINED BY MORTAL FLESH!" He paused, then said, "NOW, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN PROVE THAT THESE TWO ARE TRAITORS?"

Alright, past the hard part, now for another hard part. I took another breath to bolster myself. "Well, it is a simple matter," I replied, in an almost nonchalant fashion. "I just need your staff, my sweet, and then we shall be able to find out the truth."

Serapis cocked his head, apparently still a bit suspicious. "CAN YOU NOT TELL ME WHAT I MUST DO, ISIS? WHY MUST I HAND YOU MY STAFF?" As if agreeing that their master needed to tread carefully, the three heads of the giant's staff began growling.

I placed a hand over my heart, as if offended. "My darling, don't you trust me? You doubt your own _queen?_ And even if I am hampered by this... _mortal body"_ I looked down at myself, adopting an expression of disgust "my magic is still better than yours, I believe." I gave him cute puppy dog eyes, that always seemed to work on my actual husband. "And plus, my lovely, this can be my way of welcoming you back to Earth!"

Serapis' gaze actually softened. "AH, AH, FORGIVE ME, MY SWEETLING! OF COURSE I TRUST YOU. HERE, DO WITH THIS AS YOU WILL." The staff shrunk in his grasp, and he leaned down to present me with it; it was still much too big for me to hold, the heads about the size of an HD TV.

"Stop! Stop!" Melinoe screeched. "She is fooling you! That is not Isis, you idiot!"

"Give it a rest, darlin'," Setne told her as Serapis ignored the goddess. "Gotta hand this round to them."

I stared at the heads; the wolf and lion snarled at me, but the dog, the one that had gotten me captured in the first place, simply stared at me. _The staff is his symbol of power,_ I thought. _And it was used to summon him; it is his very essence._

Quickly I turned to Annabeth. "Knife me!" I yelled.

"WHAT?" Serapis asked, confused, but Annabeth had already slid her dagger across the floor to me, somehow zooming by all the skeletons. I scooped it up and, without missing a beat, sank the blade into the dog's neck.


	16. Sisters of Magic

Chapter Sixteen — ANNABETH

There wasn't an explosion like I thought there'd be. Instead, the injured staff became like a vortex, sucking in the lion and wolf heads and, eventually even Serapis himself. The god screamed, trying to brace himself against the swirling wind that sought to devour him. Sadie and I had dropped to the floor, heads down as the wind rushed over us as well. I could hear Melinoe snarling insults, and as I snuck a peek, I saw the skeletons she had summoned were also being dragged into the vortex. Melinoe herself, and Setne, seemed unaffected, but maybe that was because they were ghosts.

Eventually the wind died down, and all was quiet. Slowly, I started to get up, but then suddenly someone's foot was in my side, the kick sending me half across the room, where I smacked against the wall painfully.

"Annabeth!" Sadie cried, but I was more concerned with the wrathful goddess coming my way; trying to ignore the pain in my side, I scrambled up.

"You have ruined everything!" She shrieked at me. "All my plans are worthless because of you! All I wanted was some more power, some of the recognition that has been denied me this past millennium! Why should the Olympians solely be remembered and praised? Why must I always be sidelined!?"

"Yeah, that ship has already sailed," I replied, hissing as I placed a hand on my side. "And then I helped sink it. Face it, Melinoe, we are never going to let you, or Setne, or anyone else take over this world. I really wish I didn't have to keep doing it, but if I need to, I will always fight to save it."

"I am an immortal," Melinoe growled in response. "I can keep planning and trying as often as I want, but one day you will die, and no longer be a thorn in my side. My day _will_ come."

"But that day is not today," answered a voice that sounded suspiciously like Nico's. Melinoe's and my heads swiveled to the side, to see said son of Hades emerge quite literally from the shadows. He wore a trademark scowl on his face, but there also seemed to be a glint of mischief in his dark eyes. Melinoe looked even more outraged at his appearance.

"Leave now, if you know what is good for you," she hissed, eyes flashing. Unintimidated in the least, Nico casually snapped his fingers in response to the goddess' warning; once more the ground rumbled, and the reanimated dead clawed their way to the surface, but this time I was relieved to see them.

Melinoe glanced at the dead warriors and scoffed. "You think you can best me with my own minions? Foolish child, you may be the Ghost King, but I am their _goddess_. They have no choice but to obey me!"

"They are our father's minions, and right now, he's much happier with me than he is with you," Nico replied, stepping forward and drawing his sword, gesturing at Melinoe; the skeletons obeyed and began to swarm the goddess. I glanced over at Sadie, who seemed intrigued by the exchange, if a little confused. Setne, too, looked to be enthralled, eyes flickering nervously between his partner-in-crime and Nico.

Melinoe snarled and spat at the skeletons as they surrounded her. "This is not over, brother!" she shouted at Nico. "You will pay for this!"

Nico's face darkened. "There are only two people who are allowed to call me that," he told Melinoe sternly. "And you are not one of them." Briefly he glanced at me and gave a grim smile. "Don't worry, Annabeth, I've got this. And Percy and some of the Egyptians should be here soon." With that, he raised his arm, and a wall of darkness consumed Melinoe, the skeletons, and Nico, and then they were gone.

It was just Sadie, Setne, and me now. There was a beat of silence as she and I stared at the magician ghost; then Setne rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and said, "Well, gals, it's been fun, real fun, but I think it's past time I skedaddle."

"Not so fast," Sadie replied, narrowing her eyes. "There's no way I can just let you walk away again, not when you still have the Book of Thoth." She raised her hand. " _Tas!_ "

For a split second, Setne looked afraid. But when nothing discernible happened, his features relaxed, and he laughed. "Sorry, doll, but I'm not just some measly ol' Egyptian anymore; I'm protected by Greek magic now. If you want to defeat me, you're gonna hafta find someone who can wield both Greek _and_ Egyptian magic – and since that giant idiot is gone...good luck with that!"

Sadie looked furious. "I might not be able to bind you," she growled, "but I can still _hurt_ you with my magic. _Sa-mir!"_ Setne began howling in pain; quickly Sadie turned to me. She looked tired, and more than a bit flushed.

"I have an idea," she told me. I glanced between her and Setne warily.

"Is it crazy like your last one?" I asked.

"Which worked? Yes," she replied. She still held my dagger, and suddenly she brought it to her hand, slicing it. A thin line of red appeared on her palm, dripping blood. She presented the dagger to me, handle-first.

She said, "We need someone who can wield Greek and Egyptian magic, right? So what if you and I _became_ that someone?"

I was baffled. "What do you mean?" I asked. My companion glanced over worriedly at Setne, who seemed to be to still in the throes of whatever spell Sadie had cast on him. She looked back at me.

"I know you've said that children of Athena don't have powers except for their brains," she began, speaking hurriedly, "but you _do_ still have godly blood in you. You have _magic_ in you, no matter what weird recessive genes might be keeping it from you. And I have Egyptian magic, the blood of Pharaohs, in my veins; if we mixed that blood, combined those two magic systems, I think we might be able to defeat Setne." Her face had gotten redder, and a sheen of sweat covering her skin, making me realize she had been continuing the spell on Setne so we could have this conversation without him slipping away or interfering; it must be draining her.

I looked from her hand, still bloody, to the dagger. Could it work? I had felt a pulse from her, and apparently she from me, so maybe we could mix our blood and get the magic in return. And if we could just stop Setne here and now...Trying to ignore how unsanitary the whole process was, I took my dagger from her and pressed it to my own palm, drawing blood.

"I'll say the same thing I told Percy when he proposed to me," I told her. 

Sadie cocked her head. "Yeah? What's that?"

"There are worse partnerships I could make," I replied. She flashed a grin, and then slapped her hand against mine, pressing our cuts together to mingle our blood.

My whole body felt electrified, and I gasped. I hadn't imagined a reaction like this; new strength and power flowed through me for a second, and then an overwhelmingly urge to vomit overtook it; I didn't though, just moaned as my body shuddered. Finally, after another gasp, the feeling of vitality came back to me, and I felt as if I could do anything.

Sadie was panting, and had her eyes squeezed shut, no doubt struggling with the same effects I was. Eventually she straightened, back ramrod straight, and a wicked grin crossed her face. She waved her hand, and Setne, who had been curled into a ball practically this whole time, let out a gasp of his own. He picked himself up and glared at us.

"Not that I like it," he grumbled, "but I gotta say, your magic's gotten stronger, doll. Keeping a strong spell up for such a while, not bad."

"It wasn't that long," Sadie said dismissively. She no longer looked exhausted. She looked at me and grabbed my hand, the one that had been pressed against hers. "Come on," she said, another grin on her face. "You just have to aim at him, and say 'tas.' Tap into your gut, feel the magic there. You're the daughter of a god, and now you're a blood of Pharaohs."

I closed my eyes and did as I was told. I could feel Sadie's magic thrumming beneath her skin; we were connected now, daughters of the same magic, sisters through the same blood. "Okay," I said. "Let's wrap this up."

Sadie snorted at my joke, and then we raised our hands together, looked at a bewildered Setne, and yelled together, " _TAS!_ "

Setne raised his own hand, as if in attempt to block us, but hieroglyphs, some gold and some gray, appeared above his head, and purple ribbons shot out of his own skin; they wrapped around and around him, until there was hardly anything left of him except his eyes, which glared daggers at us. Confined by the ribbons, he wobbled for a moment before crashing to the ground, emitting little "mmph!" noises.

Sadie turned to me, a triumphant smile on her face. "We did it!" she cheered.

And then promptly fainted.

I would have done something for her, but suddenly my knees were buckling, and the room swam, before darkness overtook me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tas - a spell meaning "to tie" or "to bind"
> 
> *Samir - "Pain"; causes extreme pain in the victim


	17. We Are Found

Chapter Seventeen — SADIE

"...die? Sadie? Wake..." Groggily, I realized someone was talking to me; it sounded like Walt. I valiantly attempted to open my eyes, but it took a few tries before I succeeded. Sure enough, kneeling over me, was my husband, looking worried. Gently he helped me sit up. I pressed a hand to my head, which was pounding.

"Wha...what happened?" I moaned. Walt frowned.

"We were hoping you could tell us," he said. I blinked, and then took in my surroundings. I was still in the warehouse, and Annabeth was still with me, but now she was being helped to her feet by Percy, and standing guard over by the wrapped up Setne were Carter and Zia, with Carter alternating between glaring at their prisoner and looking over at me with a concerned expression.

"Ah, right," I said, feeling better as the throbbing in my head lessened. "Well, where should I start?"

"How about when you didn't make it to work?" suggested Anubis, taking over Walt for the moment. I nodded, and then attempted to stand. Carefully, Anubis helped me, looking afraid I would break if he let me do it myself.

"Yeah, that would be a good spot," I mused. "But, first, could we go somewhere...less fishy? It smells kinda disgusting here."

"I take offense to that," Percy called over, obviously trying to lighten the mood. Annabeth rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Maybe we should give you some healing potion," Zia suggested, walking over to me. She began rummaging around in a satchel on her side.

"I've got some ambrosia for you, too," Percy told Annabeth.

"I don't think either is a good idea, actually," Annabeth cautioned, just as I had reached out to take the bottle from Zia. I paused at her words.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Because...Sadie and I...aren't exactly the same as before," Annabeth said slowly. It dawned on me what she meant, while everyone else just looked confused.

"Yeah," I added. "Yeah, see, well – we were trying to stop Setne, and my magic wouldn't work because he had Greek protection, or something."

"So we needed to defeat him with Greek and Egyptian magic," Annabeth explained, picking up the story. "So Sadie came up with a plan for us to combine the magic, and we...sort of..."

I held up my hand, where the cut was. "We mixed our blood together, so Annabeth would be able to use our magic, and I would be able to use hers."

The four of them stared at us. Then Zia shook her head, frowning. "Well, no wonder you were both passed out," she grumbled. "I was afraid Sadie had used too much magic, but you weren't burning up, and Annabeth was unconscious as well. But if you fused two magic systems together, without proper precautions...I'm surprised you're not worse for wear." She looked at the potion in her hand and put in back in her back. "But Annabeth is probably right; inundating your systems with so much of one magic would not be good for them."

"But we can still get out of here, right?" I asked. Walt chuckled.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's get out of here."

~~~

We were closer to Annabeth and Percy's house, so Carter, Walt, Zia and I drove in the car they had brought (Walt and I were in the back; Setne, we'd placed in the trunk), while Percy took Annabeth home in theirs. On the way, Walt explained to me how they had looked for me after Stacy had called, and how they had enlisted Annabeth and Percy's help. He told me that after a while, they had circled back to Brooklyn House, where Nico had popped out from the shadows, exclaiming that he had found out where Melinoe was, something about feeling her in the Underworld.

Carter said he'd been skeptical that I was with the ghost goddess, but with no other leads they'd driven to the address Nico had given them. When they finished, I mentioned how Nico had showed up and taken care of Melinoe.

Finally we made it to Percy and Annabeth's, which was strangely devoid of children; Zia said that she had left the boys in Amos' care.

"The three of them are at my mother's," Percy said, obviously seeing me look around.

"Ah," I said.

We gathered in the kitchen, where Zia, Walt, Annabeth and I sat at the table; Carter leaned up against the counter, while Percy got glasses out for all of us.

"So, Sadie, what happened?" Zia asked. I took the glass of water Percy offered me, took a sip, and swallowed.

"Well," I began, "it all started with a little black dog."


	18. Eight Months Later

Chapter Eighteen — ANNABETH

It was about eight months later that I saw Sadie again.

We'd talked on the phone a bit, but it had been busy for the both of us; she and Walt had been traveling around the other Nomes, informing them of demigod existence while Carter and Zia met with House of Life officials to calm centuries of fear and mistrust. On the Greco-Roman front, Percy and I worked with other cabin leaders to spread the news of the Egyptian gods; Jason and Reyna reciprocated in New Rome. Then, of course, the everyday needs of work and kids got in the way as Ally went back to school and we decided to enroll Luke and Ethan into a daycare/preschool. I had thought I would see her after six months when the gods assembled another meeting, but either the Olympians forgot or decided a Greek presence wasn't needed, because I received no summons.

So when the doorbell rang that Sunday morning in March, I was startled to see Sadie standing on my front porch, with a rather noticeable baby bump going on.

"Annabeth!" she exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.

"S-Sadie," I stammered in reply. I shook my head to get my bearings, then backed up to let her inside. "Wow, what a nice surprise! What brings you here? Is anyone with you?"

"Walt's waiting in the car," she replied. She motioned to the couch. "Do you mind if I..."

"Oh, of course not!" I quickly moved to brush the boys' action figures and Ally's pirate sword off to clear a seat. I knew how tiring carrying around a baby all day, every day, was.

"How far are you?" I asked, sitting opposite her on the couch. Percy had gone out earlier to find Grover a birthday present, and the kids were still asleep.

"27 weeks," Sadie answered. I'd heard all about pregnant women 'glowing', but Sadie really did. "That's farther than any of the others!"

"I'm really happy for you, Sadie," I told her softly.

She smiled back. "Thanks."

"So what brings you here?" I asked. "Oh, do you want anything to drink, or something?"

"I'm fine; probably won't be staying long," she said. "I just – well, I guess it's a little silly, but I wanted to personally invite you to my baby shower." She laughed, but there was a slight bush on her cheeks. "Which I suppose is rather vain of me, basically asking you to give me a present."

"No, no, that's totally fine," I assured quickly. "I would love to – I'm honored, especially since you came here yourself."

"Well, I couldn't very well exclude my sister, could I?" Sadie replied with a smirk. "I've always wanted one, you know. A sister."

"I'm glad I got to be her," I said. "When is it?"

"Next week," she answered. "I really hope you can make it; it'll be Zia, of course, and Jaz and some of the other – well, _former_ initiates now, if you can believe so much times has passed." She smiled somewhat ruefully. "Our youngest, Shelby, will be graduating in a few months."

"The time sure does fly," I agree. "Are you sure don't want anything?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sadie said. She started to stand up. "I should get going; I have a obstetrics appointment in a bit, and Walt always gets insistent on being on time."

I nodded. "Yeah, Percy was like that with all three of them. I'll let you go then." I walked her to the door, keeping a steady pace.

"So I'll see you next Saturday? 10:00 okay?" Sadie asked before stepping off my porch; I could see Walt staring out somewhat anxiously from the car.

"Definitely," I answered. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

~~~

 _Brooklyn House_...

The door to Sadie and Carter's house was opened by a golden-haired — excuse me, furred — baboon wearing a purple Lakers jersey. He took my present (a dolphin crib mobile that Percy had _insisted_ the newest Kane would need), made some grunting noises, and pointed to some room; he then walked off, presumably to put my present with everyone else's. I decided to walk in the direction the baboon had pointed, especially since I could hear music and laughter.

Sadie was sitting on a long blue couch along with Zia and two other women I'd never seen before; on a nearby table was a cake and balloons. They were all finishing a laugh when I entered, and when Sadie saw me, the grin on her face grew wider. "Annabeth!" she exclaimed happily, attempting to rise; her baby bump seemed a bit bigger.

"Hey, told you I'd be here," I said, going over and giving her a hugo she wouldn't have to get up. Zia also seemed pleased to see me, while everyone else offered polite smiles.

Seeing that, Sadie said, "Oh, right, introductions. Annabeth, these ar Liz and Emma, my mates from England;" I shook hands with the two women on the couch, a freckled redhead and ā black haired woman. Sadie then pointed to two other women sitting on catti-cornered loveseat, "and those two lovelies over there are Cleo from Rio, and Jaz, two former initiates."

"Nice to meet you all," I said.

"So what should we do now?" Sadie mused. Suddenly she winced, as if in pain, but nobody else seemed to notice.

"I say either cake or presents," Liz put forth.

Emma laughed. "Like a birthday party!"

"How about –" Cleo started, but was caught off when Sadie leapt up and moaned, clutching her stomach. Everyone was immediately on guard.

Zia cried, "Sadie, what –" but then Sadie moaned again, and then there was a _whooshing_ sound. All of us looked to see the wet stain on the couch.

"My – my water broke," Sadie stammered in amazement. "Th-the baby's coming _now!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an abrupt end, to a short chapter, I know, but while I thought about writing the birth scene into this chapter, I realized it would make more sense for that to be in Sadie's POV. So, the newest Kane will be revealed in the next chapter!


	19. One of the Best Days of My Life

Chapter Nineteen - SADIE

"Oh, God, what we do, what we do!" Emma shrieked, hovering near me; Liz had one hand on my back and another on my arm as I doubled over, holding my baby, riding another contraction.

"We have to get her to the hospital," Zia said authoritatively. "Come, we must go to the car."

I shook my head. "But- but I had - _ugh_ -wanted it to be _\- ugh_ \- here!" I cried. I felt panicked; my baby was coming too soon! Fear and devastation accompanied the panic as I thought of the other babies, not wanting to lose this one when I was _so close_.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sadie," Jaz said, though her tone was sympathetic. "Especially since it's come early; we don't have the equipment for a preemie." She moved to my other side, urging me to walk. "It would be better for the baby to be born in the hospital," she added.

That convinced me, as she must have known it would; I wanted to make sure my baby had the best possible chance at being born healthy, especially with this rocky start. Wincing, I nodded. "Alright. Alright, but - _ugh_ \- call Walt. He's - he's -" He was with Carter and the boys at a nearby park, but I decided it was better to focus on breathing and walking. Why did this hurt so much?

Annabeth held up her phone. "Taken care of," she affirmed.

So we began a procession to the car, which Zia had ready and waiting; Liz and Jaz were on either side of me, while Emma, Annabeth, and Cleo walked behind. At one point, Khufu came bounding after us, howling in worry, or perhaps indignation that we were leaving before we'd had cake, but Cleo gave him a stern talking-to before rejoining our group.

"You'll be fine, both of you," she assured me when she caught up to us; Zia was in the driver's seat and I in the passenger, while Liz, Emma, and Jaz piled in the back. "Your patron goddess is Isis, and Bast loves you; they're both mother and childbirth goddesses."

"And Tawaret, too," I said, smiling at her. Cleo grinned back, and then pressed something into my hand before joining Annabeth in one of their cars. As Zia squealed out of the driveway, I looked at Cleo's present, a small amulet of the hippo-goddess herself. I laughed at the coincidence, and focused on that instead of the pain on the way to the hospital.

~~~

It was the waiting that was really killing me.

When we arrived at the hospital, Zia had taken charge, informing the nurse of my name, my doctor, how far along I was, that my water had broken, and this was not my first pregnancy but the farthest I'd ever been. She'd also subtly – or not so subtly – threatened the nurse into making sure both I and my baby turned out fine. I'm sure it was not necessary, but I appreciated the sentiment.

The nurse, after checking my cervix (which had opened up much more than the nurse thought it would, as if I was – _shockingly_ – actually in labor), ordered an ultrasound; much to everyone's relief, especially mine, it revealed my baby to be in seemingly good condition, if too early, though it was in the regular birthing position, head first. My doctor, Dr. Sanchez, had come around to check on me about an hour ago, and give me some drug that was supposed to delay the labor as much as possible, giving my child's lungs more time to develop. She'd told me I could go home, just come back if the contractions started again, but I had wanted to stay in the hospital, at least until Walt arrived (he and Carter had gotten stuck in some horrendous traffic); my friends had all promised to stay until then.

So it was to a roomful of women that Walt and Carter burst into, Walt a bit breathless, though I'm sure it had to do with worry and not any lack of physical prowess. Carter had Kander on his back, arms around his neck, and Jules' hand in his, staying a back a little while Walt moved quickly to my side; Zia and Annabeth moved over to make room for him, Zia going over to scoop her oldest in her arms.

"Sadie, are you all right?" Walt and Anubis asked at the same time, voices laced with worry. "What's happening? How's the baby?" Walt placed a hand over mine; I gave it a squeeze.

"We're fine," I assured him, though with a bit more confidence than I really felt, despite my trust in the doctors. "We just have to...wait."

"An impossible task for you, I'm sure," Anubis commented jokingly. I huffed indignantly while our group laughed.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find something to pass the time," Annabeth commented. "Have you picked out names?"

"Yes," Walt answered. "Boy or girl, he or she will have two middle names, because Sadie wanted "Kane" in there somewhere -"

"You said you didn't mind!" I reminded him, not particularly pleased with his tone. My husband shot me a sheepish glance, and nodded.

"I know; I don't," he replied. He then continued, "And if it's a boy, we'll name him Patrick Carter - Patrick is my dad's name - and if it's a girl, Ruby Bast."

"Red perfume jar, or a perfume jar made from a ruby?" Zia asked.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I know it's for Bast," my sister-in-law answered with a smirk on her face, "but that name technically means "perfume jar," and since ruby could be the gem or a shade of red, I was wondering which you were going for."

Walt and I stared at her, while Carter, Annabeth, and Jaz chuckled. Cleo, a smile on her face, piped up, "Well it must be the gem, considering her last name will be _Stone_." That got the rest of them laughing, even Walt, while I made a huge show of rolling my eyes at their immaturity.

"Yeah, yeah, joke if you want," I told them, waving my fist, a begrudging smile on my own face. Walt leaned over and kissed my forehead.

"They're all beautiful names, no matter their meaning," he said.

"I'm glad you agree," I reply. I turned to the others. "Alright, now you lot, move it. I'm ready to go back to the comfort of my own home."

"Yes, ma'am," my friends all said in unison, Liz and Emma even saluting. My smile grew wider. _Just you wait, Baby,_ I thought to my child, _when you come - and I hope it's only when you're healthy and ready - they'll be a whole bunch of wonderful people waiting to meet you._

~~~  
 _Brooklyn House, 3:00 am_

"Walt."

His reply, though somewhat sleepy, was immediate, "Yes?"

"We need the hospital, _**now.**_ **"**

 **"** I'll get the car."

~~~

I was a nervous, excited wreck waiting for the nurse to come in, despite my exhaustion. It had been determined that I could have the baby naturally, since it was in the birthing position, and after ten long hours, my sweet baby girl had been born. I had yet to hold her, though, as the nurses had been concerned about her prematurity. It would be a while before we could bring her home, a fact which made my heart hurt, but they had decided little Ruby was stable enough for me to hold her - we had to introduce her to my milk, after all.

Walt, who'd been by my side this entire time, looked about as tired and yet strangely awake as I felt. Zia, Carter, and Amos had come with us to the hospital, and they were waiting outside, along with Emma, Liz, Cleo, Cleo's husband Joao, Jaz, Annabeth, and Percy; and Carter told me Gran and Gramps called, along with well-wishes from former initiates and some members of the House of Life.

Finally the nurse came in, a tiny, tiny pink bundle in her arms. My breath caught in my throat as she lowered my daughter into my arms. Walt thanked her, but I hardly spared her another glance, my attention solely focused on the child in my arms. The baby I'd waited for for so long.

"Walt, look!" I breathed. "Look at her! Anubis, you too!"

"She's beautiful," they both answered. Ruby's skin was a few shades lighter than her father's, but her eyes were mine. It might be too early to tell now, but it looked like she also had Gran's nose and Walt's mouth

"Oh, my baby," I murmured. She had taken to my breast quickly, a good sign, so the nurse informed us. "Sweet girl, I'm so happy to finally meet you." I nodded towards the door, outside of which everyone waited. "And out there are - are the rest of your family. You have some amazing relatives, sweetheart, and I can't wait to tell you all about our adventures."

"And you will be relieved to know," Anubis said to me, gazing lovingly at Ruby, "that there is nothing in her immediate future but life. Death does not hang around her."

Happy tears filled my eyes. "Oh, I am," I exclaimed. "Oh, I am."

Just then Carter and Zia popped their heads in. "Hey," Carter said, "can we see our new niece yet?"

My smile, impossibly, grew wider. "Yes," I said. "Yes, you most absolutely can."


End file.
